Emu eggs à la japonaise, Jennifer Harris

Vol 47 no 2, May 2025
Article from Vol 47 no 2, May 2025

Emu eggs à la japonaise, Jennifer Harris

Abstract:

The fashion for emu eggs for decorative purposes gained momentum through the latter part of the 19th century as Australia
approached Federation. As aligned to Australian identity as the emu is, it may come as a surprise to discover that emu
eggs attracted Japanese artisans who expressed their artistry in innovative ways. Two emu eggs decorated specifically
for Japanese audiences in Japan, and others by a Japanese carver living in Australia, provide very different scenarios
for examination of this art form. Japanese scholar Dr Jennifer Harris looks into the differing treatments of this typically
Australian material by Japanese artists, both in Japan and Australia.

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The Australiana Society acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.