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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseIvory netsuke
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Ivory netsuke
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Ivory netsuke
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Ivory netsuke
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Ivory netsuke
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Ivory netsuke
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Ivory netsuke
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Ivory netsuke, in the form of a rabbit grinding with a mortar and pestle, Japanese, 18th or 19th century
This ivory netsuke was made in Japan. It is in the form of a rabbit-like creature grinding with a mortar and pestle. This imagery almost certainly refers to the ‘Hare in the Moon’, a messenger of the moon deity. The creature mixes the elixir of immortality with their mortar and pestle.
Netsuke are toggle-like ornaments. They hang objects such as medicine boxes or tobacco pouches from the sash of a kimono – a traditional form of Japanese dress. Netsuke carving is a form of miniature sculpture which developed in Japan over several hundred years. They were often beautifully decorated with elaborate carving, lacquer work, or inlays and were usually made from wood, ivory or porcelain.
Details
- Category:
- Asian Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A641096
- Measurements:
-
overall: 32.2 mm x 33.1 mm x 24.9 mm, .005 kg
- type:
- netsuke
