Japanese Netsuke with Pair of Perched Birds Andersen Design Studio wall inscriptions

wall inscriptions

enhancing the immediacy of the figures and giving them a bit of a sculptural quality

if only I could read Japanese

In this work

Note there is some reflection visible in the photos

Japanese Netsuke with Pair of Perched Birds Andersen Design Studio wall inscriptionsThe world of Japanese Netsuke is incredibly complex (and incredible!), and I am no expert; I bought this piece, as I often do, as impetus to do some learning. I just love the form of these two facing perched birds, joined at the tips of their beaks and feet, with the arcs of their necks almost forming a heart and the negative space between the feet and the base rather like a keyhole. I'm pretty certain this is a 20th century piece made for the tourist