November 2013
The British Museum and Islington N1.
I had some business to attend to
in Islington, but as it was a dingy rainy morning decided to stop off on the
way at The British Museum and take in their current exhibition entitled SHUNGA -
Sex and Pleasure in Japanese art .
The easiest approach to the museum is via the
aptly named Museum Street which runs
roughly south to north almost from Covent Garden to Bloomsbury and takes you
right to the main entrance. Its quite
a narrow street with lots of interesting little shops , cafes and galleries –
all independents, you’ll find no Starbucks or Bodyshops here - along the way. At the Covent Garden end on the corner of
Endell Street is The Oasis Sports Centre
providing London’s only all year round outdoor heated swimming pool. Owned and operated by Camden Council it’s
been here for more than fifty years and has just undergone an expensive
re-fit.
As a 17
year old I worked in the old Billingsgate
Market starting at five in the
morning and usually finishing at about 11 a.m., then after a good clean up in a
local Turkish baths spending the rest of the day wandering about the West End
and Soho with a few of my mates . We
spent many a summer afternoon by the
rooftop pool at The Oasis ogling the
glamorous bikini clad chorus girls – and the occasional star- from nearby
theatre-land lying out on the terraces hoping to get a bit of sun to their bodies.
On the corner where Museum Street crosses
High Holborn is James Smith & Sons
, an absolutely unique place commonly known as The Umbrella Shop . Still a family owned business with it’s original
polished wood and glass Victorian shop front , it sells every kind of umbrella, walking stick, mace and cane imaginable. They also have a highly skilled workforce
able to repair broken or damaged items , including old or antique pieces , a
service I found quite useful when we
opened our Antique Centre in the 1960’s.
Like the majority of London
Museums, entrance to the general exhibits at the British Museum is free , but they usually make a charge for special
events like the Shunga which probably
goes towards the general overheads of running the place. It’s a bit difficult to find things
sometimes in this museum and over the past few years there always seems to be
some kind of building work going on, but I was very impressed with the show
which as well as having a nice display – some of which was very sexually
explicit – also documented the cultural and social history behind this kind of
art.
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I have quite a collection of this
genre, not original of course but lots of small prints and pictures that I’ve
picked up in little galleries and street markets over the years in the oddest
of places ,which surprisingly included much smaller versions of a couple of the
exhibits.
Most of the early examples of
SHUNGA (meaning reclining postures ) were destroyed by the ravages or war, fire
or earthquakes so the majority of what
is available nowadays dates only from the 17th and 18th
centuries . Visitors to this
fascinating exhibition cannot help but notice that in all these finely detailed
illustrations the Japanese penis is always depicted far in excess of its real
size.
Contrary to popular belief this has
nothing at all to do with sexual boasting , but simply the veneration of the
phallus as the symbol of life and power as expressed in ancient Japanese customs
and worship. Modern writers often make
note of this fact without seeming to notice ( or mention ) that this male feature
is perfectly balanced by an equal emphasis on the female sex organs which are also
represented in a similar kind of magnification.
Thankfully the rain had stopped
by the time I had finished my tour of the exhibition and I was soon on my way
by underground to The Angel , Islington
, an area named after a coaching inn originally built in the late 15th
century, a more recent version of which still stands at this busy
junction.
There used to be a large and
very popular centre for antiques here called The Camden Passage Antique Centre , until this part of the area was
redeveloped some years ago . Although the covered market has long gone, many
of the original shops and outside stalls still remain in the old Camden Passage
and little lanes that are adjacent to it.
In some ways it’s now better than it used to be, with an interesting
and varied selection of goods for sale , mostly at affordable prices but also
including a fair amount of higher end and specialised objects of art and
antiques , amongst them a shop called Japanese
Gallery who have a large selection of antique and modern Japanese prints for
sale.
Ask to see their selection of erotic
prints and you may well find an excellent copy of something you have just seen at the
British Museum – as I did.
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Feeling a bit peckish after my mornings
travels I decided to pop into The
Breakfast Club just a few doors up from the gallery, for a quick bite to
eat and drink before making my last call .
It’s part of a small, independently owned chain which began life in
2005 and now has five branches in London , although each one still retains the
old fashioned style of personal service.
Although there is one much nearer to me I prefer the Angel Cafe where a trio of the most delightful young women provide
a perfect combination of good food and a friendly atmosphere. The groups amusing advertising slogan – “ everyone loves
a big sausage in the morning” plus a
lifesize picture of a smiling Elvis Presley at the door puts a smile on your face even before you get
around to ordering your food.
After my final
call – to a large specialist showroom not far away selling just about every
kind of artist’s materials – down came the rain again and I was glad to get
back home in the warm.
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