A remarkable collection of Chinese, Japanese and Thai worked ivory comes up for auction tomorrow at 2.30pm where the afternoon session also included jewellery, bronzes, carvings and a collection of silver trinket boxes. Netsuke and okimono for the major quantity of the lots that include two extensively carved and coloured Thai tusks.

Netsuke originated in 17th century Japan as a means for men who wore robes known as kimono, which lacked pockets, to hold their belongings. Containers called 'sagemono'-pouches, woven baskets, or beautifully crafted boxes called 'inro'-were attached to the robes' sashes with cords and fasteners known as netsuke.

These ornaments, often made of ivory or coral, were often beautifully carved and decorated. In recent years, they have become exceedingly popular among collectors.

The themes depicted on netsuke, only a few inches in size, are endless, though they are often focused on Japanese history and mythology-from depictions of warriors to animals.

An Okimono is a small Japanese carving, similar to, but larger than netsuke. Unlike netsuke, which had a specific purpose, Okimono were purely decorative and were displayed in the tokonoma. An Okimono can be made out of wood, ivory, ceramic or metal.

Okimono were normally not larger than a few centimetres (a few inches). They depicted all sorts of animals, mythological beasts, humans, gods, fruit, vegetables and objects, sometimes combined with each other, in all sorts of positions. Sometimes a scene was portrayed as well, either a daily scene or from a story.