Netsuke in the form of a mask carver

Netsuke in the form of a mask carver is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Museum description: The netsuke, carved from bone, depicts a mask carver cross-legged with a small cap (»eboshi«) on his head. In his left hand he holds a mask, and in his right hand a chisel, with which he appears to be working on the mask. Like all fully sculpted pieces in the round, this example belongs to the type known as »katabori-netsuke«. A »netsuke« (pronounced: netske) is a toggle with two holes for the cord. It was loosely attached to the Japanese obi (= belt) as a counterpart to a so-called »inro« and was thus part of traditional Japanese clothing associated with the kimono. In the accompanying pouch, the inro, wealthy merchants, artists, and craftsmen carried their seal, their stamp ink, and later also their medicine. Netsuke frequently refer in their design to poetry and myth The museum record gives measurements Height: 3.0 cm, Width: 3.9 cm, Depth: 2.8 cm. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.