#C1292 

Mammoth Ivory Fisherman Netsuke, Old Ivory Poem Bead, Onyx, Boylon Handblown Glass Necklace

Approx 20 1/2" long


$950
SALE     $675

This item cannot be shipped outside the US.

This interesting necklace is made with a mammoth ivory netsuke that is the fisherman with his fish and an old ivory poem bead with red flowers etched on one side and the poem etched on the other.  Completing the necklace are black onyx beads, a beautiful red hand blown glass bead, a carved red cinnabar bead, some thin red African glass Tribal beads and carved bone beads.


A fisherman is considered one of the four basic occupations:  fisherman, woodcutter, peasant and the scholar.

The netsuke is a miniature carving, usually less than two inches high, created by Japanese and Chinese artists for over three hundred years.  They portray every aspect of their life and culture, as well as characters from Japanese folk stories.  These carvings were traditionally used to prevent the cord attached to a gentleman's medicine box or tobacco pouch from slipping through the belt of his kimono.  Today, they are highly collectible works of art.  Traditionally, netsukes have been carved from mammoth and elephant ivory, ebony, fossil walrus tusk, mahogany, rosewood and hippopotamus tooth.  The netsukes, often signed by the artist, are getting harder to find as the detail in each piece takes patience and time and the younger Chinese are not so interested in pursuing this art form. .  Many of these pieces are displayed in museums and demand high prices at art auctions - from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand depending on the quality of the carving and the artist.