Etching of a carved ivory box with cord tassels

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The most striking thing about this etching is its subject: a carved ivory box hung with cord tassels, rendered as an object study rather than a scene or a figure. Pictures of small decorative objects like this were a common way for printmakers and collectors to record fine craftsmanship, and the tassels add a sense of the box being handled and displayed. Japanese ivory carving of this kind, often in the form of netsuke or small containers, was prized for its detail and was frequently collected in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The etching lets the viewer study the surface carving and the fall of the cords, which is where much of the artistry lies.

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