Netsuke

Museum number:

9-18835

Permalink:

ark:/21549/hm21090018835

Alternate number:

67 (original number)

Accession number:

Acc.4571

Object count:

1

Description:

Netsuke; man (Lao-tse?) resting on flank and neck of ox; rectangualr [sic, rectangular] pedestal under both; L 3.5 cm X W 3.0 cm

Donor:

Dorothy Campbell Tompkins

Collection place:

Japan

Verbatim coll. place:

Japan

Culture or time period:

Japanese

Collector:

Dorothy Campbell Tompkins and John Barr Tompkins

Collection date:

unknown

Materials:

Ivory (material)

Object type:

ethnography

Function:

2.2 Personal Adornments and Accoutrements

Context of use:

A toggle or device attached to the end of a cord or rope to keep it from slipping; cord thrust under the sash of a kimono to support purse pouch, box, or basket (in absence of pockets). "The ox is the animal sign for the second year of the Japanese zodiac. Being born in the year of the ox is considered very lucky....As a draft animal it embodies agricultural plenty. Small images of oxen were often worn by merchants to ensure continued prosperity...." Symmes, p. 110

Department:

Cat. 9 - Asia (incl. Russia east of Urals)

Dimensions:

length 3.5 centimeters and width 3 centimeters

Images:

Legacy documentation: