An interesting sculpture (okimono) depicting a snail, carved from a substantial block of ebony that also serves as its base. The sculptor’s approach is typical of the naturalistic aesthetic of Japanese artisans: carving such a sculpture from a block that could have been used to produce a dozen netsuke is far from insignificant. The attachment to realism is manifest by the treatment of details such as skin and shell and the choice of its pose add even more sense of naturalist realism to the piece.

In Japan, the snail is a symbol of wisdom and spiritual awakening, as well as patience and regeneration. Although considered a humble creature, it is associated with the earth and has an intimate connection with nature; its slowness is linked to wisdom, and the spiral of its shell is said to evoke the path of growth and spiritual evolution. In Japanese mythology, the snail is also regarded as a bringer of good fortune, bringing the rain essential to agriculture, and is therefore a symbol of prosperity and abundance.

Japan – Meiji era (1868-1912)

Length: 5.5 cm– width : 4.5 cm – Height : 21 cm