M0004134: Four ivory Netsuke, Japan

Previous title, replaced May 2020: Dr. Gunther's collection of Japanese Netsuke.

Photograph of four netsuke from Doctor Hermann Gunther's collection of Netsuke. Netsuke are ornaments worn with a Kimono. The Netsuke is tied a silk bag hidden behind the sash for belongings. They were especially popular during the Tokugawa period (1603–1868) and are seen by many as fine works of miniature art. The four Netsuke are shaped like a blind man playing a xylophone, a man with moxa on the right shin, a blind musician crawling over a plank bridge, and two blind men crawling along a log bridge. Three of the original objects can be found at the History of Science Museum under the inventory numbers 37981, 39807 and 38396

January 1935

1 photograph glass plate negative; 21.5 x 16.5 cm

Copyright is held by Wellcome Collection

Catalogue data comes from a combination of entries in the original glass plate registers, metadata created when the glass plates were digitised in the early 2000s and enhancements made by the cataloguer in 2021.

This item is fragile. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request access to the physical item.