Wooden netsuke of a standing Dutchman figure with his mouth open, leaning forward. He is wearing a long curly wig, a ruff and a long coat tied at the waist. In his right hand, the man holds a trumpet decorated with two tassels, while his left hand supports a small Chinese child (karakô) climbing onto his right shoulder.

The himotôshi consists of two holes, the lower one much larger than the upper one.

The Dutch are often depicted holding a trumpet, a rooster, a child or a dog. The trumpet was a popular instrument at the time of their commercial visits to the island of Deshima. As the only Europeans allowed to enter Japan after the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1639, the Dutch are known to netsuke artists only through hearsay and woodcuts from Nagasaki, near Deshima.

A similar example is reproduced in: Barry Davies Oriental Art, Netsuke and Inrô from European Collections, London, Connekt Colour, 2002, p. 92.

Japan – Edo period (1603-1868), mid 18th century

Height: 3 in / 7.5 cm – width: 0.8 / 2 cm – depth: 1.2 in / 3 cm