PDF Summary:The Hare with Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal

In The Hare with Amber Eyes, Edmund de Waal traces his family's history through an unusual lens: a collection of 264 Japanese netsuke figurines. These small, intricately carved objects passed through generations of the Ephrussi family, traveling from Paris to Vienna to Tokyo as the family navigated the upheavals of the 20th century.

De Waal explores how the Ephrussis rose to prominence as grain merchants in 19th-century Odessa, expanded into European finance and high society, and later faced the anti-Semitic tensions that swept through Europe. Through the story of these small objects—kept in intimate spaces, handled by family members, and carried through displacement and loss—de Waal examines how material possessions can serve as witnesses to personal and historical memory.

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How a Trading House Became a Bank

In the nineteenth century, a trading house like Ephrussi et Cie could use its connections to become a bank by arranging and guaranteeing bond issues for governments and railway companies. For example, if the Austrian government wanted to build a bridge over the Danube, it would issue bonds to raise the necessary funds. Ephrussi et Cie, with its extensive network of contacts, could act as an intermediary, connecting the government with wealthy investors willing to purchase these bonds. The firm would earn fees for arranging the deal and could also profit from the interest rate spread between what the government paid and what investors received. By successfully facilitating such transactions, Ephrussi et Cie would establish itself as a trusted financial intermediary, gradually transitioning from a commodity trading firm to a full-fledged bank.

Next, we’ll explore how the Ephrussi family fits into the world of art collecting, the significance of the netsuke figurines, Charles Ephrussi’s role as an art collector, and the impact of historical events on the family.

The World of the Collectors

The Materiality of Netsuke

The netsuke are small, intricately carved pieces created using materials like bone and timber.

(Shortform note: To create a netsuke, craftsmen start with a block of bone or timber and use small hand tools to carve away the material. They gradually shape the piece, adding intricate details and polishing it to a smooth finish.)

Displaying Art Alongside Charles Ephrussi

De Waal notes that Charles Ephrussi was a prominent figure in the art world. He was a patron of artists and writers, a collector of art, and the owner of a leading art journal called the Gazette des Beaux-Arts.

(Shortform note: In the late 19th century, periodicals like the Gazette des Beaux-Arts were important intellectual institutions. They were forums where curators, critics, and historians debated what counted as legitimate art-historical knowledge.)

Shadows of History

De Waal shows how the Ephrussi family's history is intertwined with the broader historical events of the 20th century.

(Shortform note: Historians would place De Waal’s intertwining of the Ephrussi family’s history with the broader historical events of the 20th century in the tradition of microhistory. This approach, exemplified by works like Carlo Ginzburg’s The Cheese and the Worms, uses the detailed study of a single life or family to illuminate much larger political and cultural transformations.)

Netsuke: Relics and Witnesses

According to the author, the netsuke serve as witnesses to the family's past and experiences. These 264 small Japanese carvings have been passed down through generations of the Ephrussi lineage. They are a tangible link to the past, having been present during significant moments in the Ephrussi family’s history. Family members have handled, admired, and cherished them, and their journey mirrors the family's own journey through time and around the world.

(Shortform note: Long before Edmund de Waal, other writers have suggested that you can treat a possession as a kind of “witness” to history. In The Social Life of Things, Arjun Appadurai argues that you can trace the history of an object by examining how its economic value and social meaning change as it moves between different people and contexts.)

Next, we’ll explore how the netsuke traveled from Japan to Paris, Vienna, and Tokyo, and how handling them evokes memories and emotions.

The Netsuke's Travels: An Itinerary of the Family

The netsuke were made in Edo, which was the former name of Tokyo, before Japan's international commerce began in the 1850s. De Waal explains that Charles Ephrussi, a cousin of the author’s great-grandfather, purchased them in Paris during the 1870s. Charles gifted them to the author's great-grandfather, Viktor von Ephrussi, as a wedding gift in Vienna at the beginning of the century. Later, Iggie, the author's great-uncle, brought the netsuke collection to Tokyo.

(Shortform note: Japan did have international commerce before the 1850s, but it was tightly controlled. The Dutch were the only Europeans allowed to trade with Japan, and they were restricted to the artificial island of Dejima in Nagasaki. The Chinese also had limited trading rights. The 1850s marked a dramatic expansion of international commerce, not its beginning.)

The Weight of Handling: Memory and Meaning in Touch

De Waal argues that touching objects can evoke memories and emotions. The netsuke were kept in Emmy’s dressing room, where she let the children play with them while she got ready for dinner or a party. They were stored in a dark lacquer cabinet with green velvet-lined shelves, in a private room out of public view. Emmy was fascinated by them, and their presence in this intimate space highlights the personal connection the family had with the netsuke.

(Shortform note: The idea that touching objects can evoke memories and emotions is supported by research on “encoding specificity.” This theory, developed by Endel Tulving and Donald M. Thomson, suggests that the context in which a memory is formed plays a crucial role in how it’s later retrieved. The unique feel of the netsuke, combined with the emotional atmosphere of Emmy’s dressing room, created a powerful association in the brain.)