Profusely illustrated in color and black-and-white, this scarce out-of-print book provides a definitive survey of antique Japanese netsuke including maker’s marks.    “This book organizes for the first time in easy reference form the assorted bits and pieces of information included in earlier books about netsuke.”   

NETSUKE – A GUIDE FOR COLLECTORS by Mary Louise O’Brien, Charles E. Tuttle Co. Vermont, 1965/1980. 

The narrative of this book is in-depth and covers by chapter:  Ch. 1 - Introduction; Ch. 2 - Types of Netsuke (Principal Types, Katabori, Manju, Kagami-buta, Ryusa, Hako, Masks, Sashi, and Icheraku, Functional Netsuke; Trick Netsuke); Ch. 3 -  Material, Techniques and Standards (Materials and Techniques, Wood, Ivory, Bone and Horn, Lacquer, Metal, Ceramics, Nutshells, Colored Netsuke) and  Standards; Ch. 4 - Subject Material (Landscapes, Living Creatures, Familiar Objects, Natural and Man-Made, Historical Characters and Events, Folklore and Theater, Precepts and Axioms, Games, Toys, Musical Instruments, Occupations, Signs of the Zodiac, and Reflection of Foreign Intrusion); Ch. 5 - Netsuke Makers; Ch.6 – Types of Collecting; Ch. 7 – Problems and Challenges of Collecting; Appendix – A List of Netsuke Carvers and Glossary-Index.  145 illustrations depict these tiny carvings with captioned identification. This scholarly study will benefit both the novice and advanced collector of Japanese  netsuke. 

8.7” x 8.1” hardback with dust cover in very good condition.  245 pages.  

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