EDO PERIOD (18TH CENTURY)

Details

A Large Ivory Netsuke**
Edo period (18th century)
Of two rats gnawing on a tattered umbrella, the details highlighted with dark stain and the eyes inlaid in dark horn
3½in. (8.8cm.) long

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

PUBLISHED:
Yukari Yoshida and Joseph Kurstin, Q & A in International Netsuke Society Journal 23, no. 2 (Summer 2003).

According to Yoshida and Kurstin, this netsuke illustrates the Japanese proverb that if an umbrella is eaten by a rat, the owner's family will make a fortune.

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