Mammoth Ivory Mother and Baby Rats Netsuke, Fire Agate Necklace

The rats are carved with great detail down to the tiny hands and feet (0n the bottom) and is signed by the artist who carved it. It has the traditional two holes on the side used for hanging over the kimono sash.

The rat is symbolic of riches and plentiful harvest. He is the companion of Daikoku, the God of wealth, is associated with money and represents the wish for good fortune and protection from evil. People born in the year of the rat are thought to be charming, intelligent, industrious and thrifty. The rat, worn as an amulet, brings wealth and happiness.

Japanese artists starting in the 17th century cleverly invented the miniature sculptures known as netsuke to serve a very practical function. Traditional Japanese garments had no pockets. Men who wore them needed a place to keep personal belongings such as pipes, tobacco, money, seals, or medicines. They kept them in a pouch or box that was suspended from a cord and netsuke that was used as a counter weight as the pouch hung over his sash.

Such objects, often of great artistic merit, have a long history reflecting important aspects of Japanese folklore and life. Netsuke production was most popular during the Edo period in Japan, around 1615-1868. Today, the art lives on and carvers, a few of whose modern works command high prices are in the UK, Europe, the USA, Japan and elsewhere. Prices at auctions in the USA for collectible netsuke typically range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand depending on the quality of the carving and the artist.

Mammoth Ivory comes from the extinct mammoth elephant that roamed the Earth during the Pliocene era from around 4.8 million to 4,500 years ago. Because they are extinct they are not endangered and therefore, are legal and save the African elephant. The artisans that carved elephant ivory are now carving mammoth ivory that is recovered in Siberia.

Item ID: C1027RL