Ivory netsuke showing a mother breastfeeding a child

Ivory netsuke, in the form of a mother breast feeding a child, unsigned, Japanese, 18th or 19th century

Netsuke are toggle-like ornaments. They hang objects such as medicine boxes or tobacco pouches from the sash of the kimono, the traditional form of Japanese dress. This example is carved from ivory and shows a mother breastfeeding a child.