| Transcript |
- 50
of time to produce a single piece, perhaps as long as a month or two. As a result, the earnings of a netsuke carver were extremely modest. Since netsuke are three-dimensional sculptures, they were meant to be seen and appreciated from all angles, and thus required being finely finished from every view point. The netsuke also had to have tactile appeal when handled, revealing its depths and textures. Over time, many netsuke develop a fine patina from age and handling.
(left) netsuke of man with a staff
� (a gauche) netsuke, homme avec un baton � late 19th/early 20th century � bone
� Gift of Philip and Georgina Steel, AGGV SC897 � (right) netsuke of monk
� (a droite) netsuke, moine � ca. 1900 � bone � Harold and Vera Mortimer-Lamb Purchase Fund, AGGV 1977.243.001
Netsuke can be made out of a wide variety of different materials, sometimes in combinations or as inlays, with ivory and wood being the most popular materials. Besides elephant ivory, the teeth (loosely defined as ivory) of other creatures were used to make netsuke, including mammoth tusk from Siberia, sperm whale teeth, narwhal horn, walrus tusk, wild boar tusk as well as the ivory of the helmeted hornbill, and occasionally hippopotamus teeth. Wood netsuke were not confined to just one specific tree type. The trees used included cypress, boxwood, camphor, cherry, mulberry, persimmon, plum, camellia as well as bamboo, and imported ebony and teakwood. Other materials used to make netsuke include metal, lacquer, bone, nuts, horn (for example, ox, rhinoceros, deer), tortoise shell, amber, coral, glass, soapstone, semi�precious stones, ceramic, natural and carved gourds, shell, and rattan. These were not just produced by netsuke carvers, but also by other craftsmen�such as lacquer artists, metal casters, silversmiths, sword makers, and potters�as adjuncts to their main crafts.
Netsuke can be categorized into a few main different types: katabori, the most common form of netsuke, a compact three-dimensional sculpture depicting human beings, deities, real and mythical animals, and fruits and vegetables; men, mask netsuke that were often miniature imitations of full size noh and kyogen masks, ceremonial Buddhist gigaku and bugaku masks as well as folk masks used in festivals; sashi, a long and thin netsuke; kagamibuta, a netsuke that has a metal disc serving as a lid to a shallow bowl, usually of ivory, bone or horn; and manju, a flat netsuke,
|
|---|
