2009
Type: Netsuke
Sold. Russia, private collection.
Materials: Mammoth tusk. Amber inlay.
Dimensions: 40×40×17 mm.
Weight: 27.1 g.
Mammoth ivory, eyes are inlayed with Baltic amber. Himatoshi are carved in a separate unit with inscription.
Looking at misty outlines on the moon face many Japanese traditionally imagine a fairy rabbit pestling rice for its flat cakes.
I tried to express feelings of the moon in this rabbit - one side is light and clear, and another is shadowy, dark and mystical like the moon.
A recherche Netsuke. Not some "smooth and shaggy" piece at all. I would say, there is something zen-like in this netsuke - without any words and really it changes your inner state when you turn this thing upside down in the manner of a koan.