Find the octopus

A small carved scene rewards a second look.

Wooden netsuke depicting two expressive men and the twisting arms of an octopus — Complete image · The Metropolitan Museum of ArtOpen full-resolution image

Look closer

Let your eye lead the way.

Start with the two men’s faces, then follow the arms downward.
Locate the upside-down octopus.
Compare this view with the museum’s other views to understand the carving in the round.

The story behind the object

What did you notice first? The two faces compete for attention, but following the twisting arms down through the carving reveals the upside-down octopus. A single view becomes a visual riddle.

The museum catalogues this Japanese netsuke as wood. The consulted record does not establish a named maker or folk tale, so the pleasure here is in the carving itself: expressions, movement and a scene compacted into a small object.

Original source & provenance

Institutional title: Netsuke of Two Men and an Octopus
Maker / origin: Japan; maker not identified in the consulted record
Date: Nineteenth century, Edo or Meiji period
Material: Wood; height 14.9 cm
Collection / accession: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 10.211.2305

The object is Japanese and held in a US collection. No named folk tale or ivory material is implied.

View at the museum

Image & reproduction rights

The Met identifies this image as public domain under its Open Access CC0 programme. Collection research dated 2026-11-01. Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession 10.211.2305.

The complete master is 2667 × 4000 pixels. The smaller display copies preserve the whole image; no invented detail has been added. This is not a print-quality promise, museum endorsement or worldwide clearance of non-copyright restrictions.

Met Open Access terms · Original museum image

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