Genryōsai Minkoku II
Octopus Grasping a Pearl Diverearly 19th century

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Artist or Maker: Genryōsai Minkoku II
Japan, active early to mid-19th century
Title: Octopus Grasping a Pearl Diver
Place Made: Japan
Date Made: early 19th century
Period: Edo period (1603-1868)
Medium: Ivory with staining, sumi, lacquer, and inlays
Dimensions: 1 15/16 x 1 x 3/4 in. (5.0 x 2.5 x 1.9 cm)
Credit Line: Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection
Accession Number: M.90.186.13
Classification: Costumes
Collecting Area: Japanese Art
Curatorial Notes: For the Japanese, the sea has been a vital source of food, folklore, and creative inspiration since ancient times. Sea creatures and activities have served as motifs in all forms of Japanese art, including netsuke, where fish, octopus, crabs, fishermen, and diving girls (ama) abound. These female divers collect pearls, shells, seaweed, and the like from the depths of the ocean, and the elements of their portrayal in netsuke have remained consistent through centuries. Usually carved of ivory, ama have long, straight, black hair, wear a skirt, and hold a shell or sickle-shaped tool in one hand. They may be depicted alone, paired with a large shell, or with an octopus, alluding to the creature’s amorous designs on these young women. Here, its tentacles grasp the pearl diver from all directions. The artist, Genryōsai Minkoku II, was adept at carving in a variety of materials combined in a single work, a popular practice in nineteenth-century netsuke production. In this case, the eyes of the octopus are inlaid with crystal, and the diver’s smooth glossy hair is rendered using a shaped and incised inlay of lacquer.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Goodall, Hollis, Virginia G. Atchley, Neil K. Davey, Christine Drosse, Sebastian Izzard, Odile Madden, and Robert T. Singer. The Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection of Netsuke: A Legacy at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Chicago: Art Media Resources, Inc.; Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2003.
Davey, Neil K. Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection. Revised edition. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., 1982
Singer, Robert T., and Kawai Masatomo, editors. The Life of Animals in Japanese Art. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2019.

Genryōsai Minkoku II
Octopus Grasping a Pearl Diverearly 19th century

Not on view

No image

Artist or Maker: Genryōsai Minkoku II
Japan, active early to mid-19th century
Title: Octopus Grasping a Pearl Diver
Place Made: Japan
Date Made: early 19th century
Period: Edo period (1603-1868)
Medium: Ivory with staining, sumi, lacquer, and inlays
Dimensions: 1 15/16 x 1 x 3/4 in. (5.0 x 2.5 x 1.9 cm)
Credit Line: Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection
Accession Number: M.90.186.13
Classification: Costumes
Collecting Area: Japanese Art
Curatorial Notes: For the Japanese, the sea has been a vital source of food, folklore, and creative inspiration since ancient times. Sea creatures and activities have served as motifs in all forms of Japanese art, including netsuke, where fish, octopus, crabs, fishermen, and diving girls (ama) abound. These female divers collect pearls, shells, seaweed, and the like from the depths of the ocean, and the elements of their portrayal in netsuke have remained consistent through centuries. Usually carved of ivory, ama have long, straight, black hair, wear a skirt, and hold a shell or sickle-shaped tool in one hand. They may be depicted alone, paired with a large shell, or with an octopus, alluding to the creature’s amorous designs on these young women. Here, its tentacles grasp the pearl diver from all directions. The artist, Genryōsai Minkoku II, was adept at carving in a variety of materials combined in a single work, a popular practice in nineteenth-century netsuke production. In this case, the eyes of the octopus are inlaid with crystal, and the diver’s smooth glossy hair is rendered using a shaped and incised inlay of lacquer.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Goodall, Hollis, Virginia G. Atchley, Neil K. Davey, Christine Drosse, Sebastian Izzard, Odile Madden, and Robert T. Singer. The Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection of Netsuke: A Legacy at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Chicago: Art Media Resources, Inc.; Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2003.
Davey, Neil K. Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection. Revised edition. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., 1982
Singer, Robert T., and Kawai Masatomo, editors. The Life of Animals in Japanese Art. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2019.