During the Edo period, Japan experienced an era of greatness and cultural flourishing. It was at this time that works of art were born, which remain miracles to this day. One of these masterpieces is a Netzke rat with a soybean pod in its paw, which is kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The miniature figurine of a rodent is a creation capable of impressing with its miniature size and unsurpassed wood processing. It embodies traditional carving techniques.
The appearance of the carving shows attention to detail. The rat holds a soybean pod in its paw, reproducing a natural movement. Such precision in detail may seem surprising for an object of such small dimensions, but it illustrates the high level of skill of the artists of that time.
This wooden figurine was once part of the collection of Edward C. Moore. And after his death, along with other objects, it was transferred to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Netske Soybean Rat is currently part of the museum's Asian art collection, one of more than 35,000 objects dating from the third millennium BC to the twenty-first century.
The cultural context of the Edo period, when this miniature figurine was created, is also important to understanding its meaning. This period was characterized not only by the development of art, but also by the support of traditional Japanese values and aesthetics. The flourishing of samurai and urban cultures, the prohibition of Christianity and contacts with the Western world.
metmuseum.org
Source: metmuseum.org
