Abstract
This paper will explore the art of gift-giving in modern societies. Most specifically, it will be based upon gift giving in the form of live animals. In the early periods, gift-giving was rooted and shaped by the culture of negotiating between empires, kingdoms, or societies. Personal agreements and closure were also cemented by offering a gift to each other. Additionally, gift-giving of live animals showed prowess and dominance between individuals, castles, societies, or kingdoms. First, the paper will explore animals’ rarity that led to living animal gifts being cherished globally, especially in cementing diplomatic relations. Secondly, the pride and prowess associated with owning an animal or a menagerie were exceptionally cherished in these periods. Thirdly, the paper will also delineate the art of gift-giving in Japan and some of its societies while citing the common animal presents cherished in those moments. Lastly, the Arab and Ottoman Menageries cherished animal-gifting and collection and building diplomatic relations. The animal’s rarity was a prime factor in gift-giving, making them more desirable and acting as a living representation of diplomatic relations.
Animal Rarity
The art of animal collection, which rich individuals practiced, including kings, princes, and merchants, with different functions like hunting, decorations, sports, entertainment, and showing prowess or power. This led to people cherishing the art, and animals became rare to public access, especially to the lower-class population. In addition, there were few animals, and common people had insufficient knowledge of certain species of animals. For instance, a letter from Fernandes in 1555 read, “In order to give you an idea of the strangeness of this beast, I am sending you a sketch….” , depicting how animals were rare, and people were unfamiliar with some of them or their features. The sketch looked like this;
Albrecht Durer made the Rhinoceros sketch in Germany in 15152. It is a woodcut on paper sketch measuring 21.3 by 29.5 cm2.
This rarity and assimilation of the culture of the animal collection led to live animal gifting sprees between prominent leaders for negotiations or personal relations. For instance, the Korean Kingdom offered Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Japanese leader, a live tiger gift since they had become extinct in Japan. Another example of how animal rarity led to live animal gifting culture is the live rhinoceros Alfonso de Albuquerque receives from Portugal and how his people showed amazement since they had never seen such a “beast”2.
Collecting and Owning Animals
As earlier mentioned, rich leaders and individuals cherished collecting animals and owning them for diverse purposes. As corroborated by Buquet, possessing “menageries” showcased one’s wealth and power1. Another cherished aspect was owning animals from distant areas like Asia and Africa since it showed great sovereignty and influencing power of the owning kingdom or castle1. As quoted by Plumb, Britain was once considered the leading global “imperial power” as they owned exotic species of “beasts” like lions and rhinoceroses.. Humans depicted their eluded authority and control over animals as wealthy individuals ventured into the animal collection world. Therefore, animal ownership showed superiority, wealth, and power over nature and others.
The Art of Gift Giving in Japan
Historically, gift-giving in Japan is a culture of showing gratitude or sending happy wishes to the recipient.. The gifts are carefully selected to match the conveyed message or expression, and they were supposed to be beautiful6. The culture has grown into a beautiful activity with different sumptuous styles. In the sixteenth century, the fifth shogun of Ooku was fond of giving and receiving gifts, a tradition that was assimilated and spread across Japan, becoming a ritual and social order.. This can be compared to the influence of Giorgio Vasari, an Italian multi-talented artist who paved the way to gift giving and exchange notions, especially with diplomats. He received many gifts from his admirers, including prominent leaders and wealthy families8. Furthermore, he initiated the exchange of gifts between leaders and empires to smooth the relationship between the giver and recipient. His influence and talent enabled him to create an impeccably strong bond with different people across the globe and paved the way for modern art8.
Vasari painted the painting above, probably in the sixteenth century showing Vasari himself painting “the Virgin Mary” while admirers or students were watching8. This showed how influential he was.
In 1594, to persuade the Japanese newly structured empire, Korea sent Hideyoshi a live tiger3. The Koreans wanted to arouse peace talks since Japan attacked them in 1593. Tigers have become rare in Japan since the thirteenth century. In addition, the ferocious big cat is highly adored in Japan due to its power and resiliency3. Offering a live tiger was symbolic and reflected the pelt’s capital, as the following illustration shows;
This is an illustration of “Sato Masakiyo Conquers Korea,” which was commemorated by Utagawa Yoshitaka in 1874.
The history of animal gifts in Japan and neighboring Korea dates back to the 700s when Paekche, a Korean kingdom received “two good horses, two traveling barges…”3. From ancient times to the sixteenth century, gift-giving was practiced to show loyalty and establish bonds between domains. After Japan had ended its civil war in 1590, different nations worldwide brought gifts, including live animals, to re-establish, establish, or ease diplomatic relationships3. For instance, Spain brought horses and elephants, while Cambodia brought peacocks. During these periods, some animals were cherished and considered the best gifts to be presented. First, horses were highly valued as tools for gaining and sustaining a kingdom’s power3. Since the fifth century, horses have been the pillar of the Japanese army and were cherished by rulers.
This is a Japanese drawing of horses’ heads which the Dutch delivered. It is a collection of the “National Archief” in the Hague archived in 17653.
The second most beloved gift of a live animal is the dog3. Dogs were being used for hunting, and people stopped eating them after Buddhism was introduced in the fourth century. The Portuguese delivered dogs to Japan in the 1580s before the Dutch invaded the country.
This is a drawing of a dog presented by a Japanese shogun who illustrated the dog he wanted. It is a collection of the “National Archief” based in the Hague, 17863.
The exchange of animals helped build concrete diplomatic relations between countries worldwide, including Japan.
The Ottoman and Arab Menagerie
The Arabian and Ottoman formed menagerie for entertainment purposes. However, the menagerie was classified per the purpose of the animals kept in them. For instance, there were entertainment, hunting packs like dogs, pleasure gardens where birds were kept, and exotic ones where exotic breeds were kept1. Egyptian sovereigns received animals like giraffes, rhinoceros, elephants, and zebras, while Baybars received elephants and panthers. The Egyptians introduced Arabians like al-Maqrizi and Ibn Haldun into what they called “baqt”1. This was an annual treaty that Egyptian sovereigns requested for enslaved people and wild animals which they kept in their menagerie1. In exchange, Egyptian leaders occasionally offered animals to Muslim rulers like Maghrebian, Arabian, and Persian. They also offered some animals to Christian kings like the Byzantine emperor or Spanish kings. These exchanges were for making treaties and building stronger diplomatic relations.
The menageries in Arabic countries dominated the areas of Al-Andalus and Tunisia. These menageries were maintained by exchanging or requesting wild animals from different kingdoms. This activity was majorly based on building and sustaining diplomatic relations or showing prowess and authority.
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