Two Okimone

These two ivory carvings were acquired by George Wightwick Rendel, a Director of William Armstrong's Elswick works at Newcastle, where he took part in the design and construction of Armstrong's warships. Many of these were sold to the Japanese government and the carvings were probably given to Rendel by one of his Japanese customers. The carvings are exquisite examples of the skills of Japanese ivory carvers. Each carving is a miniature figure group. One shows Chinese warriors, among whom is the famous General Kwanyu, shown in characteristic pose grasping his long beard. The other shows a group of four unidentified figures, probably peasants and nobles.