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Collections

Ishikawa Rensai
Plovers amid Wavesmid- to late 19th century

Not on view
Small carved netsuke of ivory or similar material, honey-yellow with dark brown inlay, depicting two birds among swirling stylized clouds in high relief
Ivory netsuke with two large open voids in a figure-eight arrangement, warm amber-toned surface with dark wood inlay accents and small diamond-shaped details at the sides; inlaid characters in Chinese or Japanese script along the lower edge.
Carved ivory or bone plaque with rounded rectangular form in warm amber tones, featuring two birds in relief amid swirling cloud scrolls, with deeply incised linear detailing throughout.

Ishikawa Rensai, Plovers amid Waves, mid- to late 19th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Artist or Maker
Ishikawa Rensai
Title
Plovers amid Waves
Place Made
Japan
Date Made
mid- to late 19th century
Period
Edo period (1603-1868) or Meiji period (1868-1912)
Medium
Walrus tusk with staining, sumi, inlays; ryūsa type
Dimensions
1 7/16 x 1 1/4 x 7/16 in. (3.7 x 3.2 x 1.1 cm)
Credit Line
Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection
Accession Number
M.91.250.226
Classification
Costumes
Collecting Area
Japanese Art
Selected Bibliography
  • Bushell, Raymond. Collector's Netsuke. New York: Walker/Weatherhill, 1971.
  • Davey, Neil K. Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection. Revised edition. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., 1982
  • Bushell, Raymond. Netsuke: Japanese Sculpture in Miniature from the Collection of Raymond and Frances Bushell, Part IV. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1987.
  • 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.
  • Komada, Makiko. Netsuke. Tokyo: Kadokawa, 2015.