Handmade Art from China
Netsuke, Ojime and Inro are still hand carved in China to traditional designs and much of the work produced today will become collectable in future years.
Netsuke (pronounced netskay) are usually just about two inches tall, although they vary between a little over an inch to around 3 inches, depending on the design. Ojime, basically a carved bead, are normally around an inch at their largest but, again, their size does vary. Inro, a container with any number of compartments usually two or three, are normally around three to five inches in height.
Given the small size of them, it's very easy to gather an extensive collection and display them, what isn't as easy is keeping them dust free. I have found that using an Ostrich feather is the best method of dusting small objects in a collection but every once in a while I remove everything from the shelf for a thorough clean.
I took the following photos during my Spring cleaning.
Contents at a Glance
Jade and Amber
Varying forms
In the polaroid above are four flat netsuke two of jade and two of amber, and the central jade 'lump' which is impossible to see is actually a pair of tigers, each biting the other's back foot. The tiger netsuke is just one and a half inches in length and is entirely carved to be hollow through the centre, it could be used as either a netsuke or an ojime.The design on the jade netsuke at the lower left is hard to make out. It is a traditional dragon and phoenix design, representing Emperor and Empress, Sunset and Dawn.
In the smaller picture at the right are three more netsuke in different styles. The tall one is carved with a fiery looking foo dog, this is three and a quarter inches tall. The hole for the cord to pass through is hidden within the carved knot at the top. The cord holes on the python are underneath the rear and on the rats in a coil of rope, the cord holes are under the 'knot' of the rope.
These netsuke are all very different from one another in form and also in colour, although all are boxwood, the tallest being the natural aged colour. Your collection can be as varied or as restricted in style as you like, there is plenty of opportunity to add to your collection on online auction sites.
Buddhas and Thunderbird
Buddhas for luck
Two very different buddhas here and it's only a pity that you can't see the exquisite detail on the buddha with the peach (left of picture). The detail in his face and robes is fabulous. On the right is the very commonly seen image of the jolly laughing buddha with the big belly.All buddhas are bringers of good fortune.
In the centre of the picture above is a thunderbird, just emerging from its egg, again the carving is beautifully done and at just over one and a half inches, he is the tallest of the three.
In the smaller picture are a hen, a swan and a mallard, the tallest of these is the swan, at two and a quarter inches. The detail in the carving on these and other netsuke extends to the undersides as well, the swan's flippers, for example, are stunningly detailed.
Tagua Nut
Different Materials
Above are two tagua nut which, while they could function as netsuke, are just too intricately detailed to want to subject them to any wear and tear. The rabbit on a stump is two inches tall.You may have noticed already that most netsuke animals and birds have tiny inlaid black eyes, the lion dog in the small picture is an exception. He was one of the very first netsuke I bought, he is one and a half inches long by just one inch in height and is made from ivory, the chubby little sow with piglets, on the other hand, is possibly a quartz and the cow in the centre is a fruitwood. Quite a wide variety of materials are therefore used in the production of netsuke, including bone, as shown below.
Ivory
Ivory and Bone
In the polaroid above are my favourite netsuke. The two dragons to the left and right of the picture are mammoth ivory and in the centre is an old hippo ivory pair of snakes.I know a lot of people are very much against ivory but in its defence, mammoth ivory is found lying around where the permafrost melts and old ivory comes from a time when we (as a species) didn't know any better.
The bone used in carving netsuke is usually referred to as oxbone and I have always taken it for granted this could belong to any bovine creature. I have the two examples shown in the smaller picture. These are little monks and they are two inches tall. It doesn't seem to be possible to obtain the fineness of carving on bone as can be seen on ivory, however, you can perhaps see some scrimshaw work on these two netsuke. Bone is an excellent medium for scrimshaw and takes colour well.
Mammoth Ivory Dragon
Mammoth Ivory
Mammoth ivory is much lighter in weight than elephant or other ivory (and I do have some elephant ivory, sent to me from Rhodesia many years ago) and frequently carries interesting discolourations, near the bottom of this dragon there is a bluish tinge, although it is not readily seen on this picture.
This is a modern creation made from the tusk of a mammoth which died thousands of years ago and it therefore combines the modern and the ancient in a display of superb craftsmanship, the skills of which have been passed through the generations for centuries. The finest detail can be seen on this delicate and beautiful creation which is less than 2 inches tall.
This is a modern creation made from the tusk of a mammoth which died thousands of years ago and it therefore combines the modern and the ancient in a display of superb craftsmanship, the skills of which have been passed through the generations for centuries. The finest detail can be seen on this delicate and beautiful creation which is less than 2 inches tall.
Ojime
Now my real love ... Ojime
From left to right in the arc above we have a frog, swan, mouse, bug on a peach, rats playing and in the centre front is a tiger. Every one of these is an ojime bead. The frog, at exactly one inch, is the tallest of this group.In the small picture we have, on the back row, baby turtle on the back of its mother, a ram, and a hen, in the front row, a Noh mask, snake wrapped round a 'golden' box and a thunderbird mask. The largest of this group is the ram at one and a quarter inches.
What I love about ojime is the variety in these beads and the fact that I can have a large number of them yet they take up so little space. They are ideal for a modern lifestyle and, of course, if you wanted to you could display these on a knotted cord hanging almost anywhere.
More Ojime
I did say I have quite a large collection of ojime and above are a few more. Left to right in the arc are rats in a barrel, Temple cat, a little demon on a 'pearl', a pig with a pumking and a sitting stork. Centre front is a beautifully detailed dog which measures just one and a quarter inches long by five eighths of an inch tall.The small picture to the right is of a rose carved from ivory. This is not strictly speaking a netsuke or an ojime, although it could be used as one or other. The carving however, is too delicate in my opinion to make use of this item practical. This stunning little beauty is less than one and a half inches wide and just three quarters of an inch in height.
Below you see it sitting in the centre of the final group of ojime I have to show you. From the front left, clockwise, they are mice in a slipper, a pair of pygmy hippos (?), a dragon, cat with her kitten and a toad, which is made from bone and an older piece. The toad is only one inch long and less than half an inch in height yet the carving and scrimshaw is actually very well done. You can't see it in the phot but he is sitting on a lily leaf which is carved underneath as well. He has picked up quite a bit of dirt over the years but I won't be trying to remove any of it.
And even more Ojime
Snuff bottles
Snuff bottles
These are fun to collect and I thought I would throw my small collection into this lens.In the polaroid above you see two bone snuff bottles, the rabbit and the fish, and in the centre, a carved (cinnabar?) wood snuff bottle depicting two boys holding onto a huge carp. The stopper for this wood bottle should go in a little further but I am always afraid it will stick so tend to leave it loose.
To the right, in the smaller picture, are two turquoise snuff bottles, the monkey holding her baby and the other carved with a phoenix on one side and a dragon on the other, and in the centre is a bone bottle carved with a phoenix and dragon design. The carving and scrimshaw on this snuff bottle is really quite intricate.
The tallest of these bottles is the turquoise phoenix and dragon bottle on which the tiny carved frog on top takes the height to three and a half inches.
Glass - painted inside
Bottles painted inside
I don't pretend to know how they do this but it's most impressive. Perhaps it's a little like the ship in a bottle and it's easier than it looks at first glance but it's still amazing to see the intricate scenes painted on the insides of snuff bottles.On the left of the picture above, inside the bottle are a highly detailed street scene on one side and an equally finely detailed market place on the other, all in a bottle of less than three inches in height including the stopper! The bottle to the left of the picture appears to commemorate some military event with crossed flags and some writing I can't decipher on one side, with a portrait of a soldier of rank on the other. This bottle has clearly been in use as some of the inner painting has worn away at the bottom of the images, making it practically impossible to decipher any symbols or writing.
In the centre above is one of my three bone monks, the other two can be seen in the smaller picture along with a very pretty glass bottle made with a technique in which one colour of glass is overlaid on another. I love the rich colour.
To give you a size comparison, each of the monks is three inches tall including his little topknot stopper. You can probably appreciate the delicate scrimshaw work on these.
The lens picture
Hear No Evil
This beautiful inro is just over 3 inches tall and has two compartments.
In front of the inro are two monkey ojime, the taller of these (centre) is just one inch tall. To the right of the inro, sitting on the cord, is a monkey netsuke which is only one and a half inches tall. Each one is individually signed by the artist who made it.
All are carved from boxwood with a mellow colour which has been created by time.
Dressed animals are a popular theme in these carvings.
In front of the inro are two monkey ojime, the taller of these (centre) is just one inch tall. To the right of the inro, sitting on the cord, is a monkey netsuke which is only one and a half inches tall. Each one is individually signed by the artist who made it.
All are carved from boxwood with a mellow colour which has been created by time.
Dressed animals are a popular theme in these carvings.
I would love to hear what you think of these miniature wonders
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- Ramkitten Ramkitten Jun 10, 2009 @ 11:22 am
- Great photos and love the information about each piece.
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- Stazjia Stazjia Jun 10, 2009 @ 8:14 am
- As always, your lens is beautifully illustrated and wonderfully informative. I love it.
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- MikeMoore MikeMoore Jun 10, 2009 @ 6:53 am
- Very, very cool. Some of that stuff is very attractive and you did a tremendous job on the lens.
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