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Netsuke of recumbent ox
Netsuke of recumbent ox

Netsuke of recumbent ox

Place of Origin
  • Japan
Dateapprox. 1750-1800
PeriodEdo period (1615–1868)
MaterialsIvory with detail staining and horn
DimensionsH. 2.1 cm x L. 5.7 cm x D. 3.7 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB70Y1444
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsDecorative Arts
On View
On view
LocationGallery 27
SignedSigned “Tomotada”
More Information

Inro and Netsuke

 

An inro (“seal casket”) is a small tiered container that would be suspended on a silk cord from the sash of a man’s kimono. A netsuke threaded onto this cord served as a toggle, and a movable bead would keep the inro closed. Inro were used to hold not only personal seals— which function in East Asian cultures in much the same way signatures do in the West—but also other small items such as medicines. Many inro are decorated using the Japanese lacquer technique called makie in which fine powder of gold or other metals is sprinkled on wet lacquer to create intricate pictorial motifs.