A good Japanese ivory netsuke, of a boy gambolling holding a…
click the photo to enlarge
A good Japanese ivory netsuke, of a boy gambolling holding a Hannya mask before him, his robe and obi artfully patterned with diaper designs. Signed to his back Ko-ichi. Height 8.5 cm. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection.

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Ivory - Ivory is a hard white material that comes from the tusks of elephants, mammoth, walrus and boar, or from the teeth of hippopotamus and whales. The ivory from the African elephant is the most prized source of ivory. Although the mammoth is extinct, tusks are still being unearthed in Russia and offered for sale.

    Ivory has been used since the earliest times as a material for sculpture of small items, both in Europe and the east, principally China and Japan.

    In Asia ivory has been carved for netsuke, seals, okimono, card cases, fan supports, animals and other figures and even as carved tusks.

    In the last 200 years in Europe ivory has been used to carve figures, for elaborate tankards, snuff boxes, cane handles, embroidery and sewing accessories, in jewellery and as inlay on furniture. Its more practical uses include being used for billiard balls, buttons, and a veneers on the top of piano keys.

    The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to Due to the decline in elephant populations because of the trade in ivory, the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in 1975, and in January 1990, the African elephant was similarly listed. Under Appendix One, international trade in Asian or African elephant ivory between member countries is forbidden. Unlike trade in elephant tusks, trade in mammoth tusks is legal.

    Since the invention of plastics, there have been many attempts to create an artificial ivory
  • Diaper Motif - The diaper motif is a repeating geometric pattern in decorative arts that consists of small diamond or lozenge shapes arranged in a grid. The pattern is often used as a background or border on textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and other decorative items. It can be found in a variety of cultures and historical periods, and is often used in formal or ornamental designs. The name "diaper" comes from the pattern's resemblance to the criss-crossed fabric of a baby's diaper.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

Antique Japanese ivory figure of fisherman, late Meiji period, C:1900, signed to base. 20 cm high.

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Japanese carved netsuke, carved in the form of an immortal carrying a toad on his shoulders, height 7.3 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

An ancestral figure, heavily weathered with minor cracks and chips, one ear missing, base showing evidence of being attached to a building, West Papua. Provenance: The Dr George Soutter and Dr John Yu collection, height 100 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Signed ivory netsuke of rice farmer and wife

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.