Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

The online version of the exhibition Tales in the Round: Manju Netsuke from the Ashmolean is now live. Here, visitors can zoom into high-resolution images and access detailed information about the works, currently on display in the Museum’s Eastern Art Paintings Gallery.

Manjū netsuke are round button-shaped toggles used in the ensemble which hung from a man’s waist sash and included tiered medicine boxes, tobacco pouches, pipes and purses. These 50 netsuke are on display for the first time thanks to a bequest from Dr Monica Barnett, a collector for over thirty years. The exquisitely carved objects are illustrated with dramatic episodes and characters from Japanese history and popular culture: folktales, festivals, warriors, actors, and goblins to name but a few.

The exhibition will be open until the 22^nd September. After the physical display has ended, the web-based version of the exhibition will remain online indefinitely as an archived resource that can continue to be explored.

A fully illustrated catalogue of the museum’s collection of manjū netsuke, describing the stories they depict in greater detail, is also available to purchase from the exhibition shop or online.