netsuke

unsigned ivory netsuke

early 19th century

sanbikisaru

height 2 5/8 in., 6.7 cm

the acrobatic monkeys sit tower-style on eachother's shoulders, comically with the smallest on the bottom supporting the weight of the increasingly larger monkeys above, while each pantomimes the 'hear no evil,' 'see no evil,' and 'speak no evil' associated with the sanbikisaru

Published:
Expressions of Style: Netsuke as Art, Scholten Japanese Art, New York, August 2001, no. 156

kikumon

Scholten Japanese Art is open Monday - Friday, and some Saturdays by appointment only

Contact Katherine Martin at
(212) 585-0474 or email
[email protected]
to schedule a visit between 11am and 4pm preferably for no more than two individuals at a time.

site last updated
March 29, 2024

Scholten Japanese Art
145 West 58th Street, suite 6D
New York, New York 10019
ph: (212) 585-0474
fx: (212) 585-0475