Handwritten list of guests to a dinner by Société des amis de l'art japonais (Society of Friends of Japanese Art), likely held in Paris in 1893. Guests included an array of notable artists, politicians, collectors, dealers and publishers.
Guest list of Les Amis de Art Japonaise Diner
Biographical / Historical:
Jeweler, art collector, and author Henri Vever was born in Metz, France in 1854. Together with his older brother Paul, Henri Vever managed the family jewelry firm, Maison Vever, from 1881 until Paul's death in 1915 and Henri's retirement in 1921. As an art collector, Vever amassed a large collection of European, Asian, and Islamic art. Through his work as a jeweler, art collector, and author, Henri Vever played an important role in the twentieth-century art world.
The Société des amis de l'art japonais (Society of Friends of Japanese Art) was first organized in 1892 by the Paris Asian art dealer Sigfried Bing. Vever was a founding member. The group held dinners multiple times each year to discuss their interest primarily in Japanese prints.