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- made as export items. They were carved by skilled artisans and were of fine quality but the large demand for export to the West also led to the production of many minor quality netsuke.
Thus, foreigners [gaijin) played an integral role in preserving and sustaining netsuke art, causing the carvers to adapt and cater to the new clientele with new ideas and materials. Erotica even became a fairly common genre in netsuke for export to foreign markets.
Today the value of netsuke can range from a hundred to one hundred thousand dollars, based on the quality of the works and if they were created by well known craftsmen. It is buyer beware, as there are now mass-produced knock-offs being created around the world, especially in China. The artistic tradition of carving netsuke has survived to this day with about a hundred professional artists worldwide (both Japanese and non-Japanese) who continue to produce netsuke of high standard. In fact, an innovative netsuke created by a well known contemporary netsuke artist can sell for a four-digit dollar price.
The contemporary netsuke carvers who have revived the art of netsuke carving often exhibit the same great artistry, craftsmanship and originality of the great old masters. Contemporary Japanese netsuke artists include Kangyoku, Bishu, Hideyuki, Akihide and Keiun. Foreign netsuke carvers who have devoted themselves to this incredible painstaking craft include British carvers Guy Shaw, Nick Lamb and Michael Webb; American carver David Carlin; and Jewish carver George Weil, to name a few. There are also a large number of Chinese craftsmen who have been carving for decades.
inro with design of Shoki and oni demon
� inro, motif representant Shoki et un demon oni � ivory, gold, lacquer � ojime in the form of Shoki's face, ivory � ojime en forme du visage de Shoki, ivoire � netsuke with design of gold horse with monkey and pine tree, signed Re In or Li Guang � netsuke, orne d'un cheval dore avec un singe et un pin, signe Re In ou Li Guang � ivory, shakudo alloy
� late Edo period, mid 19th century � Fred and Isabel Pollard Collection, AGGV 1964.010.001
As mentioned earlier, the netsuke toggle, the ojime bead and the inro case are part of a set for carrying items. The ojime is a bead or small slide that is slid down two strands of cord against the top of the inro to loosen or tighten it. It was usually designed to harmonize with the netsuke and the
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