Antique
Ivory Okimono Netsuke Mizaru
3 Monkeys
Signature: unsigned. Circa: 19th Century
h. 1.5 in.(3.8cm), w. 1.4 in.(3.5cm), d. 1.4 in.(3.5cm)
condition: Very
Good The
Japanese word for monkey, saru, sounds much like the negative verb form, zaru.
Perhaps originating from a play on words, the three monkeys Mizaru, Kikazaru,
and Iwazaru demonstrate the Buddhist injunction that if we do not see, hear, or
speak evil, we will be spared of evil. This excellently carved okimono netsuke
shows the three with their backs against one another. Which made into a tactile
design may have been used as a netsuke. Each monkey features very finely etched
fur enveloped in a warm brown patina; realistic, if slightly alarmed facial expressions,
and beautifully proportioned posturing.
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