Netsuke

Netsuke are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function (the two Japanese characters ne+tsuke mean "root" and "to attach"). Traditional Japanese garments—robes called kosode and kimono—had no pockets; however, men who wore them needed a place to store their personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money, seals, or medicines.

Their solution was to place such objects in containers (called sagemono) hung by cords from the robes' sashes (obi). The containers may have been pouches or small woven baskets, but the most popular were beautifully crafted boxes. Whatever the form of the container, the fastener that secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a netsuke.

Netsuke evolved over time from being strictly utilitarian into objects of great artistic merit and an expression of extraordinary craftsmanship. Such objects have a long history reflecting the important aspects of Japanese folklore and life. Netsuke production was most popular during the Edo period in Japan, around 1615-1868. Today, the art lives on, and some modern works can command high prices in the UK, Europe, the USA, Japan and elsewhere. Inexpensive yet faithful reproductions are available in museums and souvenir shops.

Porcelain dolls

Porcelain dolls are made out of bisque porcelain. Bisque is unglazed porcelain which gives the dolls realistic skin look and texture.

Now days, the terms porcelain doll, china doll and bisque doll are used to describe the same thing. Usually, only collectors will know the difference between them. For instance- china dolls are made of glazed porcelain while bisque dolls are made of unglazed porcelain.

The dolls head is painted with a few layers to create skin tones and realistic look. The Dolls bodies hardly ever made out of bisque because of its Fragility and weigh.

The porcelain dolls were popular in the 19th century with French and German dolls.

Today the dolls are collectible and can be very valuable, depending on the quality and condition of the doll.

Mammoth ivory

Mammoths were always significantly in the art of humans. At ancient times, Cave men realistically draw them on the walls of their caves. The Mammoths we know today are those mammoth that were trapped in ice crevasses. Covered over, frozen, and their bodies were remarkably well preserved for almost 30,000 years.

Mammoth ivory has been found in Europe, North America and Asia since the end of the last ice age. The wooly mammoth roamed across the land bridge between Siberia and Alaska during the ice age when parts of Alaska and the Yukon in Canada were free of ice.

In earlier times, mammoth ivory hunters were concentrated in the northern part of European Russia, but over the centuries the area where it can be found easily has gradually moved north and east, following the Arctic Circle.

Any tusks that can be restored are brought back to their original form. Other pieces are polished and sold to collectors and artists around the world. The majority of pieces of mammoth ivory are sold as they are great for display. Some pieces are good for scrimshaw, carving, knife and gun handles or even pool cues. There are many grades of mammoth ivory: From small chips all the way up to large tusks.