Japanese Cowry Sea Shell Netsuke & Lidded Wooden Case
Monday, September 29th, 2008
Description
This netsuke is made from a cowry seashell with a hole drilled into the top where the cord is attached. The netsuke is connected to a wooden case which is likely older than the netsuke itself and may have been used to hold tobacco. The netsuke is in very good condition while the lidded case has marks and scratches from handling and wears a darkened patina of age. Please read below to learn more about Japanese netsuke.
Size of seashell netsuke:
Height: 0.9 inches (2.2 centimeters)
Length: 1.9 inches (4.8 centimeters)
Size of wooden case:
Height: 1.6 inches (4.0 centimeters)
Diameter (approximate): 2.9 inches (7.5 centimeters)
Combined weight: 2.8 ounces (79 grams)
More about Netsuke
Where can you place things when wearing a garment that has no pockets? For all its beauty, comfort and style the Japanese kimono has never included a convenient place to store personal items. In the past some Japanese would keep the things they needed in the kimono’s vast sleeves or tucked into the folds of their garment. Over time however, in became fashionable and convenient to secure personal items such as money pouches and tobacco kits to the belt-like obi. These items and others were kept in place by tying them with a length of cord to a small polished gourd (hyotan) which could then be passed under the obi and in this way used to keep the attached item dangling conveniently at waist level. Such items became known as sagemono in Japanese which literally translates as “hanging things”. By the 17th century the gourd had given way to smaller, specially crafted items called netsuke which originally looked like buttons but which over time were adapted to fit a wide range of artistic and personal tastes. Netsuke did often resemble people or animals as well as objects from everyday life or nature.
As an art form the netsuke is largely without a detailed history and pedigree. Though many netsuke were signed, we today know relatively little about the artists or the various schools of influence. This fact means that most netsuke must be appreciated primarily for their intrinsic appeal, as well as for an important feature which the Japanese call aji. Aji may be defined as the effect upon a netsuke produced by it’s being used for its intended purpose, namely as a decorated object of daily use. Scuff marks, small scratches and the patina of age together contribute to an netsuke’s aji, and provide the finishing touch on one of humanity’s most unique, practical and beautiful forms of art and expression.
item code: R1S5-0005618
ship code: L1650
Duration : 0:3:28
