M0004138EA: Netsuke of a man receiving a massage on his shoulders / M0004138EB: Netsuke of two blind men fighting

Previous title, replaced May 2020: Wood masseurs operating on each other, signed Miwa.

Previous title, replaced May 2020: Two wood blindmen fighting, signed Miwa.

Photograph of two wooden Netsuke. One is of a man receiving a massage on his shoulders, created by Mi-Wa. The other is of two blind men fighting, created by Mi-wa. Netsuke are ornaments worn with a Kimono. The Netsuke is tied a silk bag hidden behind the sash for belongings. They were especially popular during the Tokugawa period (1603–1868) and are seen by many as fine works of miniature art. These Netsuke are from Doctor Hermann Gunther's collection of Netsuke. The first one can be found at the History of Science Museum under the inventory number 52328.

January 1935

1 photograph glass plate negative; 12 x 16 cm

Catalogue data comes from a combination of entries in the original glass plate registers, metadata created when the glass plates were digitised in the early 2000s and enhancements made by the cataloguer in 2021.

Copyright is held by Wellcome Collection

Please consult the digitised version as this item is fragile. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request access to the physical item.