Rutherford Alcock（1809-1897）為十九世紀後半引介日本藝術至歐洲的重要先驅之一。1859年他以英國公使的身分抵達日本，駐日期間曾協助日本參與1862年的第二次倫敦萬國博覽會（London International Exhibition of Industry and Art）；1863年他於討論日本生活見聞之書籍《大君之都》（The Capital of the Tycoon, 2 Vols.），嘗試書寫日本藝術的發展景況；1875至1878年Alocck受《藝術期刊》（The Art Journal）之邀，發表數篇關乎日本藝術的系列文章，試圖分析日本人的創作手法與特色；1878年他將已發表的文章作統合與補充，以圖文並茂之方式撰寫，出版藝術專書《日本的美術與工藝》（Art and Art Industries in Japan）。然而，目前針對Rutherford Alcock推廣展示與書寫日本藝術的研究並不多。本文乃欲透過挖掘Alcock於不同階段對日本藝術之見解，更深入釐清他推動日本藝術的貢獻與限制，亦盼能藉此補充十九世紀後半歐日藝術交流的樣態。
;Rutherford Alcock (1809-1897) was one of the pioneers who introduced Japanese art to Europe in the second half of the 19th century. In 1859, he arrived in Japan as a British Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. He assisted Japan in the London International Exhibition of Industry and Art in 1862. In 1863, he tried to describe the development of Japanese art in his book The Capital of the Tycoon, 2 Vols. Alocck was Invited by The Art Journal from 1875 to 1878 to publish a series of articles on Japanese art, trying to analyze Japanese specific techniques and creative characteristics. In 1878, he combined and supplemented these articles and published a book entitled Art and Art Industries in Japan. However, there is little research on Rutherford Alcock’s promotion of displaying and writing Japanese art. The purpose of this research is to explore Alcock’s views on Japanese art at different stages in order to further clarify his contributions and limitations. This study will contribute to our understanding about the art exchanges between Europe and Japan in the second half of the 19th century.
The first chapter will sort out Alcock’s life story, explore his experience in Japan and his experience of organizing exhibitions, and probe into Alcock’s views on Japanese affairs during his stay in Japan. The second chapter focuses on the excavation of the contents of the Japanese display at the 1862 International Exhibition and the various after-exhibition echoes, in order to understand Alcock’s views on Japanese works and the contemporary audience’s reaction to the Japanese exhibits. The last chapter is a review of several of Alcock’s writings related to Japanese art, with some discussion regarding various reviews at that time.
