Description

This small ivory netsuke depicts an infant child playfully attempting to climb on top of their mother, who is resting with a rather joyful expression. This object was displayed in the co-curated gallery trail "Nothing Without Us: Experiences of Disability" at the Pitt Rivers Museum, curated by Kyle Lewis Jordan, running from 16th November 2023 - 6th October 2024.

Hermann Arthur Gunther (1872 - 1944) was a medical doctor who collected thousands of Japanese netsuke (now divided between the Pitt Rivers and the History of Science Museum in Oxford), particularly those which depicted a variety of impairments. Co-producer Lucy Shaw, who has a learning disability, selected this netsuke with her mother Sarah in order to tell a story about how they like to play.

Community curation: Charming and mischievous, these Japanese netsuke helped fasten personal items to a man’s kimono, perhaps giving us a glimpse of their personalities. Fun and play are really important to me and my daughter. Not only for creating joy, but also in helping us learn and communicate with one another. Both these netsuke and the performance masks across from them caught our eyes and made us wonder about all the games they might wish to play. - Sarah and Lucy S, A mother and daughter who love to play!