Netsuke, Ghost of the O Iwa, ca. 1880–1900
ArtistRyugi,
active late 19th century
MediumIvory
Height4,6 cm
About the workThis small figure, called netsuke, shows the disfigured face of Oiwa, who was poisoned by her samurai husband so that he could marry into a rich family. She swears eternal revenge on her husband and anyone who had anything to do with him. Netsuke are counterweights used to attach containers for medicine, tobacco or money to the belt of the kimono, known as the "obi". Predominantly made of ivory and boxwood, the objects were first created in the seventeenth century and evolved into status symbols. When Japan opened up to the West in the 1860s, kimonos went out of fashion and so did netsuke.
AccessionGift of Bruno Werdelmann 2004
Provenance[...]; bis 25.10.2004 Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Bruno Werdelmann (1920 – 2010), Ratingen; 25.10.2004 erworben durch Schenkung von Bruno Werdelmann
Inventory numberP 2005-288
