Artwork preview

Netsuke of Octopus

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image depicts a Netsuke of an octopus by an unknown artist. The object is small, made of light brown material resembling ivory or bone. It features a round head with two small black eyes and a small brown nose. The head has several curved lines around it, likely representing wrinkles. The body consists of a large curved tentacle wrapped around the bottom of the object. There are several smaller tentacles emerging from the back, some curled and others straight. The background of the image is light gray.

Artwork details

Date:
19th century
Medium:
Ivory
Culture:
Japan
Dimensions:
600 × 400 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette