Netsuke in the form of a Clamshell Containing a Landscape

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ivory netsuke in the form of a clamshell containing a miniature carved landscape. The clamshell is open, with the left half in the foreground and the right half behind and to the right. The left half is smooth on the inside and has two black hinge pieces attached with dark red cord. The right half is intricately carved on the inside. A miniature boat on a river is carved in the center; other carvings include a pagoda and a distant mountain. The outside features carved curved lines and shapes. A dark red cord loops around the shell through two small circular ivory pieces.