Existing comment:
Japanese Netsuke
18th-19th centuries:
The variety of netsuke subjects is astonishing. Legend and the theater are a source for human figures; animal subjects go well beyond the popular rat, ox, tiger, hare, and other creatures that are the names of the years in the twelve-year cycle of the traditional calendar. When the wearing and collecting of netsuke mushroomed in the 18th century, carvers of masks and false teeth were among those drawn to the netsuke-carving profession, and many turned for inspiration to fresh sources, such as books illustrating Chinese mythology.
The work of the best 18th-century carvers was already being forged in their lifetimes. When the name of a craftsman appears on a netsuke on view here, his name and date are indicated on the label, and no attempt is made to identify copies or forgeries. According to some scholars, such attempts may be futile.
The older netsuke tend to be the most functional; robust, with obvious holes through which to thread the cord, and composed in a way so that they look good dangling over the upper edge of a sash. Beginning in the late 18th century there was a move towards a more precise realism. |