Edoardo Chiossone (January 21, 1833 – April 11, 1898) was an Italian engraver and painter, noted for his work as a foreign advisor to Meiji periodJapan, and for his collection of Japanese art. He designed the first Japanese bank notes.
Biography
Chiossone was born in Arenzano, Province of Genoa, as the son of a printer. In 1847 he enrolled in the Accademia Ligustica, where he specialized in copper-plate engraving, and graduated in 1855. In 1857 he entered the atelier of Raffaele Granara and made several engravings of famous art works. One of his works was selected for display at the Exposition Universelle (1867) in Paris.
Many of the portraits by Chiossone have been lost, and others only survive in reproduction; they can all be said to have been faithful likenesses. His well-known portrait of the Emperor Meiji is so realistic that it has often been mistaken to be an actual photograph.
Chiossone in Japan
Chiossone arrived in Japan on January 12, 1875. The government Printing Bureau (Insatsu Kyoku) which was part of the Ministry of Finance (Okurasho) was under the directorship of Tokuno Ryosuke, who was eager to introduce modern machinery and techniques. The practical implementation of this policy was entirely the work of Chiossone, who founded printing companies such as Toppan Insatsu, trained the Japanese in printing techniques, designed official papers, paper currencies and postage stamps, taught the art of making printing ink and printing paper (with a watermark in it), and taught how to make many copies from one plate.[1]
After five months Chiossone was offered a three-year contract with a monthly salary of 450 yen and a house; this was one of the highest salaries paid to a foreigner, and twice that of fellow Italian Antonio Fontanesi who was hired to teach oil painting, and his house was outside the foreign enclave in Tsukiji (he lived first in Kanda and then in Kōjimachi, with a retinue of servants). At the end of 1875 he made his first portrait, an engraving of the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold. He also designed the "koban" postage stamp series which was issued in 1876/92. As there was a taboo against using the emperor's portrait, he had to resort to other images, such as the imperial chrysanthemum.
In 1879 Chiossone went on a trip around Japan with Tokuno Ryosuke to record ancient art works and monuments; 510 photographs were taken and Chiossone made 200 drawings. Tokuno recorded in his diary, published ten years later, that the two of them had had long conversations. The fruits of this trip were illustrated albums produced between 1880 and 1883.
In 1883 Chiossone was asked to make a portrait of Saigō Takamori, who had already been dead for six years; for this purpose he combined the features of Saigō's younger brother and a cousin of his, and this became the standard portrait and the model for famed bronze statue in Ueno Park. Chiossone also made a portrait of Tokuno two months before he died in that year, and designed his tombstone.
Chiossone's portrait of Emperor Meiji, 1888
In 1888 he received his highest recognition, when he was asked to produce a portrait of the Emperor, to be used as the official state portrait. The only existing portrait at that time was a photograph taken ten years before, and the Emperor refused to be photographed again. So the grand chamberlainTokudaiji Sanemori arranged for Chiossone to sketch the Emperor at the palace from behind a screen. From his sketches, Chiossone produced two conté drawings of the Emperor, one in military uniform and the other in civilian clothes. These were then photographed and became the official images of the Emperor, and served as the basis of all the familiar representations.
Besides being engaged in painting portraits, which included further portraits of the Empress, the future Emperor Taishō, General Ōyama Iwao, Iwakura Tomomi and Sanjō Sanetomi, Chiossone was constantly kept busy at the Printing Bureau, producing plates for notes, stamps and bonds; in 1888 he produced a 5‑yen bank note with the figure of Sugawara Michizane on it, and, as his last work before retiring, a 100‑yen note with Fujiwara Kamatari (614‑669) on it. In 1891 he retired with 3,000 yen severance pay and an annual pension of 1,200 yen. He also received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class.
Death
On April 11, 1898, Chiossone died of heart failure at his home in Kōjimachi, and was buried in Aoyama Cemetery, where his tomb can still be seen in the foreign section. The papers brought out long articles on his death, and the Japan Weekly Mail spoke of his high reputation both for his artistic ability and for his friendly nature.
Legacy
Chiossone was an avid collector of Japanese art, with a wide range including nihonga, ukiyo-e, Buddhist sculptures and liturgical objects, archaeological objects, lacquerware, porcelain, Noh masks, armor and weapons, musical instruments, and clothing for men and women. Per a provision in his will, this collection was sent to the Ligurian Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa after his death, where it was later formed into the Museum of Japanese Art "Edoardo Chiossone", opened to the public by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy on October 30, 1905.
Interview about Chiossone - Podcast - Donatella Failla, Director of Museo d’Arte Orientale E. Chiossone talks about Chiossone and his grave in Aoyama Cemetery
