Asian Arts | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries | Message Board

hello friend!!
I call fernando and'm from Brazil
I have my family in this small item of ivory
one dragon of legitimate ivory
and would like help from you guys to know, the rarity of this item ...
this in my family for years
a big hug to all

fernando,

You have a Japanese netsuke. Netsukes are common and used to prevent a Japanese gentleman's inro (wallet) from hitting the floor. The inro is attached to a string which passes under his obi (belt) and is then attached to the netsuke. The netsuke prevents the string from slipping back under the obi.

Each netsuke is individually carved so there is only one like yours. My guess is that yours was carved in the 20th century.

Cheers,
Stan

hello my friend!!!
I appreciate the response, this item has in the family for many years and I have a great affection for him

another question, you could tell me what material it is made???
will be the pictures that it is possible to say that??

a big hug!!

From the lower left picture, it appears to be ivory. I think I can see the Schreger lines. See link below.

A better picture of the bottom also would show the signature and someone may be able to identify the artist.

The flat bottom is somewhat unusual in my limited experience. It almost seems that the netsuke is for show sitting on a shelf rather than for daily use.

Cheers,
Stan

URL Title :How to Identify Ivory

Asian Arts | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries | Message Board