unsigned ivory netsuke
19th century
clam and awabi shell
length 1 3/4 in., 4.3 cm
a small clam shell balances on a the peak of a larger awabi (abalone) shell; the underside of the awabi sensitively stippled to suggest the fleshy interior of the mollusk, stained to highlight details
Both the abalone the clam carry sexual connotations in Japanese art, acting as visual short-hand for women. Clams were a particular favorite with netsuke carvers who frequently portrayed hapless men caught in various compromising positions by the closed 'lips' of the shell.
