Netsuke: The Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection: A Legacy At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Netsuke, the Japanese miniature sculptures used as counterweights for objects suspended from a man’s sash, peaked as an art form during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Raymond Bushell was considered one of the foremost experts on netsuke in the world, and the works he and his wife, Frances, gave to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are a distillation of the finest netsuke collections ever formed. It includes superb examples by all of the netsuke masters as well as artists who produced comparatively few netsuke, and examples of rare subjects and unusual materials. In this catalogue, exquisite color photography and scholarly insights bring alive this amazing tradition. It features more than 820 netsuke, with accompanying texts that gives a complete overview of changing tastes in netsuke collecting and carving thro0ughout its history and into the present day. The enormous variety of netsuke subjects are thoroughly examined, including famous battles and samurai kabuki and noh actors and [plays, scandalous stories, animals and imaginary creatures, Buddhist sages, and Shinto rituals. Also included are maps of ancient and modern Japan, an illustrated reference of 535 artists’ signatures, a glossary, and a detailed index. With 827 netsuke and 20 inro shown in more than 1,000 color illustrations. Index. 552p.…