Little Netsuke Collection

[ckaiserca]

This is a small collection of Netsuke that I have. I think that they are all made of ivory.

 

Phoenix (?) 

 

Pottery Merchant

 

Woman and Child

 

Rat with Turtle

 

Turtle with Rabbit

 

I know next to nothing about netsuke, but I think these were brought back from Japan when my grandfather did business there after World War II. I inherited them from my grandmother when she passed away. I would appreciate it if anyone could tell me more about them. I took these photos with my iPhone, so they aren't the best quality. Let me know if better photographs would be helpful. All of them appear to be signed. Some of the mei are easier to see than others. 

[Shugyosha]

Hi Charles,

 

Yay go rabbit! Can’t knock him for ambition. 

[b.hennick]

They look more like okimono than netsuke. The two holes do not let them down as netsuke do. I'm not sure if they are ivory.

[Bugyotsuji]

Sweet little objects and a memento for you, but they do not cut the mustard as Netsuke, unfortunately. Over on the International Netsuke Society pages these would be described as NLO or Netsuke-like objects, made (not only in Japan) for the foreign trade, from Meiji onwards, in huge and growing numbers.

 

Even though a couple of those may look like ivory, Charles, the world has changed and that alone is no longer a positive, but a real minus today in the USA. The top one for example is almost certainly ivory, but it breaks all the rules for Netsuke and is more like an Okimono, as Barry says above.

 

PS To add insult to injury (apologies) the signatures on these were usually added for decorative effect.

[ckaiserca]

Thanks for the replies. I didn’t hold out any hopes that I was in possession of valuable antiques, and am well aware of the difficulty of selling anything made of ivory in this day and age. I am certain that the rat and and turtle are also made of ivory. The Schreger Lines are quite visible when you have them in hand. While ivory can be sold in Canada, it can’t be sent anywhere else.  
 

It is also evident that they were not ever really on a cord on someone’s obj as the edges of the holes are quite crisp. They look nice on a shelf, and I guess that’s where they were meant to go all along. 
 

Cheers!

[Bugyotsuji]

Oops, I missed that you were in Canada. My fault, Charles.  

[AntiquarianCat]

I love them(I keep a lot of stones/gemstones carved into animal shapes on my desk so no surprise), especially the zoomorphic ones like the rat and the rabbit. Would I be right in assuming that ivory netsuke, although antique, would be hard to obtain in the present day?

[John A Stuart]

Unfortunately no. Elephants are slaughtered just to poach their tusks which are sent to China to be turned into replicas of historical ornamentation or art. You can get these copies easily and buying them supports criminal enterprise and potential terrorism. Make no mistake about it. Buying these modern knock-offs are a crime. John

[PietroParis]

2 hours ago, AntiquarianCat said:

I love them(I keep a lot of stones/gemstones carved into animal shapes on my desk so no surprise), especially the zoomorphic ones like the rat and the rabbit. Would I be right in assuming that ivory netsuke, although antique, would be hard to obtain in the present day?

1 hour ago, John A Stuart said:

Unfortunately no. Elephants are slaughtered just to poach their tusks which are sent to China to be turned into replicas of historical ornamentation or art. You can get these copies easily and buying them supports criminal enterprise and potential terrorism. Make no mistake about it. Buying these modern knock-offs are a crime. John

 

While I fully agree that buying modern ivory knockoffs supports crime and the slaughter of elephants, I think that the question referred to antique ivory netsuke.  For those the legislation varies a lot depending on the location. For example, pre-1947 ivory artefacts (not raw ivory) can currently be bought and sold freely within the EU, but their import/export to/from the EU requires a certificate identifying them as antiques. In Japan it is legal to sell/buy even modern ivory artefacts, but it is illegal to export them. I presume that within the US the rules vary from state to state.

 

[John A Stuart]

Ivory artefacts are worth preserving. There are amazing artworks made of it and I covet them like a lot do. I am willing to abide by proscription of any sale old or modern to preserve the living creatures. We don't need jambiya with Rhino horn or okimono of ivory at the expense of trade in animal parts that hasten their extinction. An elephant or rhino on the veldt is much more spiritually satisfying than a memento mori on the shelf. Polar bears are hunted for trophies here and global warming has put them under great pressure. There should be a total moratorium on hunting them for the same reason. Those headdresses worn by the Grenadier Guards require a whole bear to make. Insufferable destruction when faux fur would suffice. I feel strongly about this and am not picking on anyone in particular, just in general. John

[AntiquarianCat]

My apologies, I should have been more clear. When I said antique netsuke, I meant antique as an unconditional requirement. I’m well aware that contemporary ivory is illicit and unethical.

 

That said, if the elephant passed away two hundred years ago, the people who killed him are long gone, the artisan gone too, conserving an artifact will do nothing to bring the elephant back or fund contemporary poachers but it will preserve a bit of human creativity and heart. I guess I feel the same way about the whale bone carvings my grandmother owns, they’re relics of a sort, and preserving their art will do no harm when the Pequod and the 1800s artisans are long gone. The worst evil that could come from that is making people think whaling was okay, but I think most into odd niche interests like antique carvings have the sense to know people in the past did bad things and that conserving artifacts doesn’t equate to an endorsement.

[John A Stuart]

I agree with that. I hunted whales at one time, young and callous. I have mended my ways. Whales came into the harbour yesterday. What a sight. These antiquities must be preserved. It is when trade of antique pieces causes copying to take advantage of a limited market that we must contemplate stopping any trade as a deterrent. Other remedies most welcome. John