This is a rhinoceros from the "Anima Series" of Kimekomi ornaments featuring animals, carefully crafted by hand by Japanese traditional craftsman Ko Ikko.
It is a gem of a piece tailored as a tribute to the woodblock print "Rhinoceros" by Albrecht Dürer, a 15th century German artist. The white parts of the back and waist are covered with a layer of ultra-thin washi paper called "Tengucho," and the horns are polished to a luster by polishing with a sea bream's teeth.
The horns are polished with gold mud and polished to a luster with sea bream teeth. The same technique used to paint the horns and tusks of traditional Japanese "Noh masks" is used to create this masterpiece.
The eyes are decorated with black foil, and other traditional Japanese techniques are used in every detail.
It is recommended as an ornament for your room as well as an artwork to add color to your daily life.
Dürer's "Rhinoceros," a woodblock print depicting a rhinoceros, which was not available in Europe at the time, continued to be imitated for the next three centuries.
It is a famous work that is said to have had "the greatest influence on the field of art of any depiction of an animal.
Kimekomi decorations are a traditional craft originating in the Edo period, in which the body is made by kneading paulownia powder and then polishing it with a layer of powder called gofun, and then pressing in a piece of cloth with a spatula dipped in glue to complete it.
