Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Netsuke in the Form of a Rat
(Japan and Korea )
The rat is portrayed with one rear leg raised to his ear and holding a "daikon," or Japanese radish, in his front paws. It has been realistically carved and tinted with considerable attention lavished on its finely incised strands of fur. Black coral was used for the inlaid eyes. The rat, which is the first animal in the Chinese and Japanese twelve-year cycle, was the first to appear before the Buddha in an audience of animals. It was a popular subject, especially for those born in its year.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
William T. Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2003-2004 | The Fabergé Menagerie. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus; Portland Art Museum, Portland. |
| 1978 | Netsuke: Miniature Sculpture of Japan. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Japan, Kyoto (Place of Origin)
Measurements
L: 1 7/8 × W: 1 1/8 × H: 1 1/4 in. (4.8 × 2.8 × 3.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. Walters
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.936