MARYKAY - DELIGHTFUL TINY RAM BOXWOOD NETSUKE SCULPTURE
This tiny little sculture is 3.8 x 4.8 X 3.4 cms - The detail is stunning
The Year Of The Ram - 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
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Netsuke (Japanese:æ ¹ä»Â) are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th century JAPAN -
The Kimono (traditional Japanese dress) had no pockets so the people carried a small hanging object - AN INRO- to keep all their possessions in. The INRO had drawstrings to keep it closed and to attach it to the wearers waist. The toggle which secured the drawstrings to the waist was known as the NETSUKE and was both functional and aesthetically pleasing.The OJIME (sliding bead) was strung to the cord between the netsuke and the INRO to tighten or loosen the opening of the INRO.... NETSUKES were made from wood / bone or ivory and were probably always delicately carved. This required enormous skill and craftmanship from the carver. As time went on the carvers became famous for their originality and imagination and often they signed their work in respect to this.
materials used:
Ivory - the most common material used before ivory from live animals became illegal. Netsukes made from mammoth ivory (huge quantities still exist in the Near East and Siberia) fill part of the tourist trade demand today.
Boxwood, other hardwoods - popular materials in Edo Japan and still used today. Metal - used as accents in many netsukes, Kagamibuta lids. Hippopotamus tooth - used in lieu of ivory today. Boartusk - Mostly used by the Iwami carvers. horn, hornbill ivory, clay/porcelain and Laquer
Like many other art forms, netsuke reflect the nature of the society that produced them. This is particularly true of Netsuke. The reasons why this is so include long periods of isolation imposed both by geography and internal politics and limited avenues of self-expression for Japanese citizens due to custom and law. As a result, netsuke display every aspect of Japan culture including its rich folklore and religion, every craft, trade, and profession, all types of people and creatures, both real and imagined, and every kind of object. As in other aspects of Japanese culture, the subjects portrayed by netsuke trend, over the long term, away from an initial emphasis on motifs of Chinese derivation toward a focus on objects of more strictly national interest.
Some netsuke represent single, simple, objects, and some depict entire scenes from history, mythology, or literature
- people - famous and anonymous, current, historical, real and fictitious, children, warriors, priests, etc.
- craft, trades, professions - often depicting actions (fishermen catching fish, woodcutters cutting wood), or examples(i.e., a stylized apple for an orchardist or apple merchant).
- animals - zodiac animals and others; it is worth noting that tradition netsuke style depicts octopus figures as having a tube like siphon protruding from the "face" similar to a mouth. If you examine closely, you'll find that some octopuses have nine tentacles instead of 8. These octopuses will usually be found embracing beautiful women; you can guess what the ninth tentacle represents.
- plants or plant products - small ones, such as beans or chestnuts, are often carved life-size.
- deities and mythical creatures - often from Chinese myth and religion
- non-living things - the smallest category. Common examples include roof tiles, coins, and tools
- abstract - mon patterns and other designs
- sexual - "shunga" netsuke may depict a male and female in sexual conjugation, or may contain only subtle or symbolic sexual references
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People born in the Year of Ram are elegant and highly accomplished in the arts. They seem to be, at first glance, better off than those born in the zodiac's other years. But ram year people are often shy, pessimistic, and puzzled about life. They are usually deeply religious, yet timid by nature. Sometimes clumsy in speech, they are always passionate about what they do and what they believe in. Ram people never have to worry about having the best in life for their abilities make money for them, and they are able to enjoy the creature comforts that they like. Ram people are wise, gentle, and compassionate. They are compatible with Rabbits, Pigs, and Horses.
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