Far East, Japan, Edo to Meiji period, ca. 1830 to 1910 CE. A glazed pottery netsuke depicting a rat crawling upon a large chestnut with perforations on the back side for attachment. The chestnut is covered with a golden brown glaze with a white bottom highlighted with black stipples. The hungry rat, painted with a dark green-grey glaze, has clearly been enjoying this tasty chestnut; the area he has eaten reveals the tender white flesh of this sweet nut. The Japanese chestnut (Kuri) is the most ancient fruit in Japan; its cultivation even pre-dates rice growing! It is used to make delectable dishes including a special one served for New Year celebrations! The rat as the first animal of the Chinese zodiac (which the Japanese adopted around 600 CE) is an iconographically important animal. Rats or nezumi have traditionally been a popular motif in netsuke carving, which, according to the British Museum, were given as gifts to people born in the Year of the Rat. Size: 1.5" L x 1.625" W (3.8 cm x 4.1 cm).

The traditional kimono had no pockets. While women could tuck away small personal items in their sleeves, men suspended their treasured possessions (tobacco pouches, pipes, purses or writing implements and the like) called sagemono on a silk cord, hanging from their obi (sash).
In order to stop the cord from slipping through the obi, a small toggle called a netsuke was attached.

Provenance: From the Paul and Louise Bernheimer collection of Japanese Edo and Meiji Period Netsukes, Cambridge, MA and Laguna Woods, Ca. Acquired before 1980 and all made at least 75 years before the 1970 ivory ban.

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#111835

Intact with minor surface wear.