ARMIN MUELLER: A PORCELAIN (YAKIMONO) SAGEMONO SET OF A TWO-CASE INRO, NETSUKE AND OJIMEBy Armin Mueller (1932-2000), sealed Sui 水 Santa Barbara, California, USA, 1994 Of cylindrical shape, finely glazed in celadon green, the inro modeled as a section of bamboo with a few leaves and three ants crawling up the body, the individual nodes of the bamboo stalk cleverly incorporated as the cases. The similarly glazed ojime in the form of a frog perched on a bamboo node and the netsuke naturalistically modeled as a chasen (tea whisk). The inro, ojime, and netsuke signed with the artist's single character seal signature Sui 水. HEIGHT (the inro) 8.2 cmHEIGHT (the netsuke) 4.6 cmCondition: Excellent condition. Armin Mueller (1932-2000) was an American contemporary netsuke artist who specialized in porcelain netsuke, inro, and ojime. A very moving tribute to Armin, written by David Carlin, was printed in the Fall 2000 issue of the INS Journal. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related porcelain sagemono set of a dragonfly amid aquatic plants and frogs by Armin Mueller at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 16 April 2021, Vienna, lot 325, (sold for EUR 1,952).
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ARMIN MUELLER: A PORCELAIN (YAKIMONO) SAGEMONO SET OF A TWO-CASE INRO, NETSUKE AND OJIME, KAPPA WITH MELONSBy Armin Mueller (1932-2000), signed Mueller A.J 91 and sealed Sui 水Santa Barbara, California, USA, 1991Of cylindrical shape finely glazed in celadon green, the inro bearing a design of leaves, vines and melons on one side, and a tortoise, grasses and a dragonfly on the other side. The similarly glazed ojime modeled as a tortoise and the netsuke as a kappa with three melons. The inro signed MUELLER and A.J. 91 and signed with the artist's single character seal signature Sui 水. With the original wood tomobako (storage box), which shows the artist's s seal as well.HEIGHT (the inro) 4.9 cmHEIGHT (the netsuke) 3.5 cmCondition: Excellent condition.Provenance: Ex-collection June Schuerch (1930-2000). With an old cardboard label reading “Kappa with Melons 1991 inro en suite: Armin Mueller porcelain June Schuerch”.Armin Mueller (1932-2000) was an American contemporary netsuke artist who specialized in porcelain netsuke, inro, and ojime. A very moving tribute to Armin, written by David Carlin, was printed in the Fall 2000 issue of the INS Journal.
A GOLD LACQUER FOUR-CASE INRO DEPICTING A KIRIN AND HO-O BIRDUnsignedJapan, 17th-18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Of upright rectangular form and oval section, the four-case inro lacquered in gold and iro-e takamaki-e against a gold fundame ground, depicting a galloping kirin with its head turned slightly, with flames emanating from its body. The reverse depicting a descending ho-o bird, its plumage rendered in shades of gold and brown with kirigane highlights. The interior lacquered in nashiji with gold fundame rims.With a patterned glass ojime in stripes of blue, white, and red. The accompanying red-lacquered pressed horn manju netsuke depicting Kato Kiyomasa slaying the tiger.HEIGHT 6 cm, LENGTH 4.9 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear to lacquered ground, with streaks of black lacquer coming through. Some tiny, typical losses along the edges of the risers. A small age crack to the side of the third case. The ho-o, often likened to the phoenix, is a symbol of renewal and rebirth. Its appearance is considered a harbinger of hope, signifying an era of peace and prosperity. Its connection to immortality signifies the eternal cycle of life and death. The seven treasures associated with it represent moral virtues and the pursuit of spiritual perfection. The kirin, or qilin in Chinese, is seen as a benevolent guardian. Its presence heralds good fortune and serenity, emphasizing the importance of virtuous living. This divine creature embodies harmonious coexistence with nature, avoiding harm to any living being, making it a symbol of ecological harmony. Its association with fertility and longevity underscores the desire for a prosperous and enduring life. Both creatures reflect Japan's spiritual connection to nature, the pursuit of moral excellence, and the enduring hope for peace and prosperity in the face of life's ever-changing cycles.
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A FOX WITH A DRUM (KITSUNE TADANOBU)By Ittan, Nagoya, Edo period (1615-1868), early/mid-19th centuryThe fox seated in a human attitude, cradling a tsuzumi (double-ended hand-drum) swathed in cloth; signed in incised characters Ittan to (Carved by Ittan). 3.4cm x 2.5cm (1 7/16in x 1in).Footnotes:Provenance:M. T. Hindson Collection.Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 26 June 1967, lot 83.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.194, no.586.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A TIGERBy Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856), Tanba Province, Edo period (1615-1868), early/mid-19th centuryThe sabre-toothed tiger seated, turning left to look over its shoulder, its long tailed curled around and beneath its body, the tiger's stripes finely detailed, its eyes inlaid in pale amber; signed with incised characters Toyomasa within a rectangular rounded reserve. 3.2cm x 3.6cm (1¼in x 1 3/8in). Footnotes:Provenance:M. T. Hindson Collection.Sold at Sotheby's, London, 26 June 1967, lot 107.Purchased from Sydney L. Moss, October 1968.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.241, no.747.A similar example by the artist was sold in these Rooms, 3 November 2022, lot 24.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF TWO PUPPIESBy Masanao, Ise, Yamada, Edo period (1615-1868), mid-19th century One lifting itself onto the other's back with a hesitant expression, its companion amusedly looking on in anticipation; signed on the underside Masanao. 4.2cm x 3.3cm (1 5/8in x 1 5/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:Julius and Arlette Katchen Collection.Purchased from Sydney L. Moss, October 1968.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A LARGE COILED RATBy Masanao, Yamada, Ise Province, Edo period (1615-1868), early/mid-19th centuryThe rat curled into a ball in the artist's typical manner, holding its tail around its body with its left forepaw, scratching its left ear with its left hind paw and its nose with its right hind paw; signed in a polished oval reserve Masanao. 4cm x 2.8cm (1 9/16in x 1 1/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:Purchased from Sydney L. Moss, October 1968.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF TWO MATING DOVESBy Masakazu, Nagoya, Edo period (1615-1868), early 19th centuryThe two doves in an intimate position with partially outstretched wings, their heads gently snuggling the other; signed on the underside Masakazu with a kao. 3.8cm x 3.3cm (1½in x 1 5/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:M. A. Willard Collection.Purchased at Eskenazi, London.Published:Eskenazi, Japanese netsuke from private collections and Michael Webb netsuke, London, 27 May - 6 June 1980, p.17, no.33.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A TORTOISESHELL NETSUKE OF A NAMAZU (CATFISH)By Komin, Edo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryThe namazu flicking its tail as it swims, its fins pressed against its body, the eyes inlaid in horn and ringed in gold; signed with a gold tablet Komin with a kao. 6.1cm x 1.8cm (2 3/8in x 1 13/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:M. T. Hindson Collection.Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 11 September 1969, lot 974.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.120, no.349.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A TORTOISESHELL NETSUKE OF A TORTOISEBy Komin, Edo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryNaturalistically rendered, the tortoise with its head, legs, and tail tucked inside its shell to form a compact shape; signed in a gold tablet Komin with a kao. 3.9cm x 3cm (1 9/16in x 1 3/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:George Lee Collection.Frederick Meinertzhagen Collection.M. T. Hindson Collection.Sold at Sotheby's, London, 23 June 1968, lot 1160.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.123, no.360.Frederick Meinertzhagen, MCI: The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum, New York, Alan R. Liss Inc., 1986, p.382.A very similar example by the artist formerly from the Oscar Raphael Collection is in the British museum, museum no.1945,1017.616.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A TORTOISESHELL NETSUKE OF AN ONI (DEMON) MASKBy Komin, Edo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryThe oni staring wide-eyed with a grimace, the eyes comprising concentric bands of variously coloured materials, the fangs gilt; signed in a gold tablet on the reverse Komin with a kao and inscribed on the band Yamato-no-kuni Anjoji no kura En no Gyoja shosa utsusu (A copy of a mask by En no Gyoja stored in the Anjo Temple in Yamato Province). 2.7cm x 3.3cm (1 1/8in x 1 5/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:W. W. Winkworth Collection.M. T. Hindson Collection.Sold at Sotheby's, London, 23 June 1969, lot 1161.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.121, no.351.A very similar example by the artist, formerly from the W. W. Winkworth, M. Poulter, and Carlo Monzino Collections, is illustrated by Frederick Meinertzhagen, MCI: The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum, New York, Alan R. Liss Inc., 1986, p.381.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A SLEEPING SHOJO (DRUNKEN SPRITE)By Ikkan (Nagoya, 1817-1893), Edo period (1615-1868), mid/late 19th century An inebriated shojo seated upright with both hands unusually pressed together in prayer, his head lowered, bowed, his long hair parted down the middle and flowing down both sides of his face and down his back, his robes engraved with characteristic diaper designs; signed on the underside Chofu Ikkan within a rectangular reserve. 3.7cm x 3.5cm (1½in x 1½in).Footnotes:Provenance:J. R. Hawker Collection.M. T. Hindson Collection.Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 11 March 1969, lot 1010.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.196, no.592.Frederick Meinertzhagen, MCI: The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum, New York, Alan R. Liss Inc., 1986, p.214.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A HORNBILL NETSUKE OF A BUAKU MASKBy Kokeisai Sansho (1871-1926), Osaka, Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th centuryThe mask with a fierce expression in sunken relief, the pupils and nostrils pierced; signed Sansho with a kao. 4cm x 1.5cm (1 9/16in x 5/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:Gordon Smith Collection.Streatfield Collection.H. A. Gunther Collection.M. T. Hindson Collection.Sold at Sotheby's, London, 23 June 1969, lot 1121.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.37, no.70.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A DROMEDARYBy Masakatsu, Yamada, Ise Province, Edo period (1615-1868), 19th centuryStanding upright with its long slender legs all together and hooves touching to form a compact composition, its head turned docilely to the left and resting on its flank, both eyes inlaid; signed on its belly Masakatsu within an oval reserve. 4.6cm (1¾in) high.Footnotes:Provenance:M. T. Hindson Collection.Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 11 March 1969, lot 1018.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.226, no.694.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A MUSHROOM CLUSTEREdo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryThe cluster with three mushrooms of various sizes packed together with stubby stems; unsigned. 3.9cm x 2.5cm (1 9/16in x 1in).Footnotes:Provenance:Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 18 December 1975, lot 60.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
TWO WOOD NETSUKE OF SHISHI (CHINESE MYTHICAL LIONS)Edo period (1615-1868), late 18th centuryThe first a parent shishi and young seated side by side and facing opposite directions, the parent with its mouth wide open to roar out, unsigned, 3.6cm x 4cm (1 7/16in x 1 9/16in); the second a solitary shishi hunched down and turning left to look behind, its tail flared up, unsigned, 4.3cm x 2.8cm (1 11/16in x 1 1/8in). (2).Footnotes:Provenance:The first: purchased from Mike Dean, January 1986.The second: purchased from Barry Davies Oriental Art, March 1993.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
TWO WOOD NETSUKEEdo period (1615-1868), late 18th/early 19th centuryThe first a couple seated inside an open mikan (tangerine) playing a game of go, unsigned, 3.9cm x 2.9cm (1 9/16in x 1 1/8in); the second a seated small puppy and mallet or spinning top on a large tree stump, unsigned, 3.7cm x 3cm (1 7/16in x 1 3/16in). (2).Footnotes:Provenance:The first: purchased from Mike Dean, December 1986.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
TWO WOOD NETSUKEEdo period (1615-1868), early 19th centuryThe first a sho (vertical panpipes), the base decorated with mokko, unsigned, 5.3cm x 2.1cm (2 1/8in x 13/16in); the second a persimmon filled inside with pieces of charcoal, the charcoal of ebony, unsigned, 3.1cm x 2cm (1 3/16in x 13/16in). (2).Footnotes:Provenance:The second: purchased from Mike Dean, May 1985.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A RECUMBENT KIRINBy Ikkan (1817-1893), Nagoya, Edo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryLying with its head raised as it turns to the left, its tail drawn forward with its legs tucked underneath to form a compact composition, flames licking its flanks; signed in an incised oval reserve Ikkan. 3.7cm x 3.2cm (1 9/16in x 1¼in).Footnotes:Similar examples by this artist, one from the Harriet Szechenyi Collection, were sold in these Rooms, 8 November 2011, lot 50, and 4 November 2021, lot 6. Other similar examples are illustrated by George Lazarnick, Netsuke and Inro Artists and How to Read Their Signatures, Honolulu, Reed Publishers, 1982, p.508, and Bernard Hurtig, Masterpieces of Netsuke Art: One Thousand Favourites of Leading Collectors, New York and Tokyo, Weatherhill, 1980, p.45, no.103.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A SHOJO (DRUNKEN SPRITE)Edo period (1615-1868), early/mid-19th centuryThe shojo slumped over with his arm slung around a large filled sake jar, his left hand touching his head as if painfully hung-over and obscuring his face, his right hand grasping a long ladle; unsigned. 4.1cm x 2.5cm (1 5/8in x 1in).Footnotes:Provenance:Purchased from Mike Dean, December 1982.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A MERMAIDBy Tadatoshi, Nagoya, Edo period (1615-1868), early 19th centuryThe mermaid lying, turning slightly to her left, curling up as she grasps her tail, forming a compact composition; signed in a raised rectangular reserve Tadatoshi. 4cm x 3.2cm (1 9/16in x 1¼in).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A SEATED ROOSTERBy Masanao, Yamada, Ise Province, Edo period (1615-1868), 19th centuryResting with its head tucked in its voluminous plumage, its legs folded beneath with its left foot forming the himotoshi; signed under its left wing in an oval incised reserve Masanao. 4.2cm x 2.5cm (1 5/8in x 1in).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A ROOSTER AND HENEdo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryThe pair seated side by side on a partially open fan, the rooster upright with its tailfeathers erect, the hen leaning forward with its head lowered; unsigned. 3.7cm x 3.4cm (1 7/16in x 1 5/16in).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A FAMILY OF CHICKENSBy Masatoshi, Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th centuryThe rooster and hen seated beside a bowl, their heads low to peck at feed, the chick resting atop the back of their father's back; signed on the underside of the bowl with a raised rectangular reserve Masatoshi. 3.5cm x 3.3cm (1 3/8in x 1 5/16in).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A DRAGON IN A MIKAN (TANGERINE)By Tomomitsu, Edo period (1615-1868), 19th centuryThe dragon shown winding through and around the stippled mikan, the leafy stem forming the himotoshi, the eye inlaid; signed in an incised oval reserve Tomomitsu. 4.4cm x 3.4cm (1¾in x 1 5/16in).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A COOPER INSIDE A BARRELBy Morita Soko (1879-1942), Taisho (1912-1926) or Showa (1926-1989), 20th centuryThe emaciated figure seated inside a large wooden inverted cistern, planing the wood intently, the interior with a hammer lying beside him, the wood dark stained and bearing a good patina, signed on the underside on a rectangular reserve Soko to. 2.6cm x 3.3cm (1in x 1¼in).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A BAMBOO CUTTER INSIDE A NODE OF BAMBOOBy Yoshihide, Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th centuryThe man dressed in a straw cape and hat standing inside inside a large section of bamboo, digging up bamboo shoots, two smaller bamboo stems with leaves carved on the exterior; signed in ukibori characters Yoshihide along one side. 4.8cm (1 7/8in) long.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
THREE LACQUER INROEdo period (1615-1868), 19th centuryThe first of carved ebony wood with four cases, decorated with an all-over design of a dragon emerging from clouds, unsigned, 8.7cm (3 3/8in) high, with a gilt ojime in the form of a kinchaku purse; the second a black-lacquer four-case inro, lacquered in gold and silver togidashi maki-e with windblown chrysanthemums and grasses, unsigned, with a pierced wood modern netsuke in the form of a barrel, carved at each end with a seated priest, 7.8cm (3in) high; the third a broad two-case brown-lacquer inro lacquered in red takamaki-e with a pine tree along a seashore on one side and Mount Fuji looming in the distance on the other, unsigned; with a silvered-metal double mask ojime, 6.7cm (2 5/8in) high; two with a wood storage box. (5).Lot to be sold without reserve.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF SAIGYO HOSHI VIEWING MOUNT FUJIEdo period (1615-1868), late 18th/early 19th centuryThe poet and priest Saigyo Hoshi seated at the foot of Mount Fuji by a large pine tree, leisurely gazing up with his hat resting beside him, the roots of the tree extending to the underside; unsigned. 5.2cm x 3.4cm (2 1/16in x 1 3/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 20 December 1978, lot 39.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
YAMADA JOKASAI LINEAGEA Gold-Lacquer Five-Case Inro, Edo period (1615-1868), early 19th centuryDecorated in gold takamaki-e and kirikane with a design of shochikubai (the 'Three Friends of Winter', pine, bamboo, and prunus, that flourish at the same time), arranged alternately in horizontal bands across the surface of each case, signed on the bottom case in gold lacquer Jokasai, the interior of matt gold, with a wood two-part manju netsuke with an ivory central peg, carved with tennin (Buddhist angels) on one side and a stylised six-petalled flower on the other; unsigned. 7.8cm (3in) high.Footnotes:Provenance: Presented to Robert Clark, a Civil Engineer at the University of Tokyo 1871-1878, and thence by descent.The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10), reference no.T9FA8J39.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A FISHERMAN ON A CLAMBy Kigyoku, Edo period (1615-1868), late 18th/early 19th centuryThe fisherman seated on an oversized clam, attempting to pull his fundoshi (loincloth) caught in the shell; signed in incised characters Kigyoku. 3.8cm x 4.2cm (1½in x 1 5/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:Isobel Sharpe Collection.Frederick Meinertzhagen Collection.M. T. Hindson Collection.Purchased at Sotheby's, London, 26 June 1967, lot 55.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.120, no.347 (unillustrated).Another example by the artist is illustrated by Frederick Meinertzhagen, MCI: The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum, New York, Alan R. Liss Inc., 1986, p.325.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A BLACK AND GOLD-LACQUER FOUR-CASE INROEdo period (1615-1868), probably 19th centuryDecorated in silver and gold takamaki-e, kirikane and e-nashiji depicting a tennin (Buddhist angel) seated on a pine-clad seashore playing the flute, alluding to the Noh play Hagoromo, the reverse with the looming image of Mount Fuji appearing from the clouds, unsigned; with a kagamibuta netsuke carved in high relief gold and shibuichi with Kosekiko putting the recovered shoe on Choryo's foot, the latter holding a scroll; signed with a kao. 8.5cm (3 3/8in) high.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A GOLD-LACQUER CIRCULAR TWO-CASE INROMeiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th centuryLacquered in slight red and gold takamaki-e with an aoi-mon decorated, stationed goshoguruma (courtier's ox-drawn carriage) resting on its shafts, its lowered bamboo blinds tantalizingly suggesting the presence of an elegant lady or nobleman inside, alluding to the Aoi chapter in Genji monogatari ('Tale of Genji'), the reverse with windswept autumnal plants of chrysanthemums and grasses, the interior of dense nashiji, unsigned; with modern wood netsuke of two puppies; unsigned; with a wood storage box. 8.7cm x 8.7cm (3 3/8in x 3 3/8in). (2).Lot to be sold without reserve.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A SLEEPING COURTIEREdo period (1615-1868), early/mid-19th centurySeated with one knee upright, folded over with his arms in front above his head, his face visible underneath and with a serene expression, wearing court robes and an eboshi (formal court cap); unsigned. 3.8cm x 2.2cm (1½in x 7/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:Purchased from Mike Dean, April 1982.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A GOLD-LACQUER FOUR-CASE INROMeiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th centuryDecorated in gold and slight coloured takamaki-e depicting on one side two women carrying baskets hauling themselves up the precipice of a cliff picking medicinal herbs and cascading waterfall on the other, the interior of dense nashiji, unsigned, with a modern wood netsuke of a beetle crawling over a pumpkin; with a wood storage box. 9cm (3½in) high.Lot to be sold without reserve.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A COILED SNAKEBy Hogen Tadayoshi, Edo period (1615-1868), early/mid-19th centuryThe writhing snake curled into several irregular loops, its head resting atop its body, the eyes inlaid; signed in a raised irregular rectangular reserve in ukibori characters Owari-no-kuni no ju Tadayoshi (Tadayoshi of Owari Province). 3.3cm x 1.7cm (1 5/16in x 11/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:G. G. Davies Collection.Frederick Meinertzhagen Collection.A. A. Watney Colletion.Harriet Jaffé Collection.M. T. Hindson Collection.Sold at Sotheby's, London, 23 June 1969, lot 1199.Published:Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.192, no.577.Frederick Meinertzhagen, MCI: The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum, New York, Alan R. Liss Inc., 1986, p.840.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WOOD NETSUKE OF A RABBIT ON A BOATBy Ryukosai Jugyoku, Edo, Edo period (1615-1868), 19th centuryThe rabbit rowing the boat with an oar in its right front paw, waves licking the sides of the boat, the eyes inlaid in red coral; signed Jugyoku with a kao. 3.8cm x 2.2cm (1½in x 7/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:W. Guest Collection.W. L. Behrens Collection, no.4856.M. T. Hindson Collection.Sold at Sotheby's, London, 25 November 1968, lot 770.Published:Henri L. Joly, Legend in Japanese Art, London, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1967, p.196.Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, London, Faber & Faber Limited and Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1974, p.118, no.340.The subject of this lot is a reference to Kachi kachi yama, a folktale of a villainous tanuki and a farmer. Tricked by the tanuki to eat a soup made from his murdered wife, the farmer was aided by a friendly rabbit who was challenged by the tanuki to a boat race. The rabbit's boat was made of wood while the tanuki's was made of clay which quickly disintegrated in the lake.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A STAG-ANTLER NETSUKE OF MONKEYSEdo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryThe larger monkey seated upright with its feet pressed together, the smaller monkey seated on its shoulders; unsigned. 2.4cm x 5.3cm (15/16in x 2 1/16in).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
5 NETSUKE, Asien / Japan, 20. Jh., Resin, partiell farbig akzentuiert, 4 Figuren unter dem Stand signiert. Insgesamt 5 vollplastische Figuren in Schatulle. Folgende Figuren sind im Konvolut enthalten: 1) Mann mit Eimer, H. 5 cm. 2) Geisha mit Fächer, H. 6 cm. 3) Stehender Mann / Fischer mit Korb und Paddel, H. 5 cm. 4) Stehender Mann mit Hammer, H. 5,5 cm. 5) Figurengruppe aus stehender Figur mit drehbarem Gesicht (Kabuki-Spieler?), auf ihrer Schulter einen Affen tragend - unter dem Affen ein großes Gesicht. H. 5 cm. (Schatulle mit Gebrauchsspuren - ein Verschluss fehlt; Figuren mit leichten Gebrauchsspuren).
An Important Nanban two-panel folding screen Depicting a procession of Portuguese Tempera and gold leaf on paperEdo Period, first half of the 17th centuryLiterature:Francesco Morena, “Japan The Land of Enchantment – Line and Colour”. Catálogo da exposição no Palácio Pitti, pp. 268-271. Exhibitions: “Japan The Land of Enchantment – Line and Colour”, Palácio Pitti, 2012171,5x186,4 cm The Portuguese ProcessionThe scene on this two-panel folding screen (byobu) depicts five standing figures, four adults and one boy holding a dog on a lead and walking ahead of the procession. The first figure on the left is carrying a chair; the second is holding a large parasol shading the one in front of him who is preceded by another who is looking at him intently.With the exception of the man holding the parasol whose features and complexion are typical of South East Asia, all the other figures are clearly Portuguese and wear loose breeches (bombachas), fitted shirts, and cone-shaped hats. They also have some common facial features: big noses, large bulging eyes, unruly beards, and thick mustaches.This is the most common iconography of the Portuguese in Japanese art. The theme of the European (Nanban, literally "Southern Barbarians") entered the Japanese artistic repertoire at the beginning of the Momoyama period (1573- 1615), and from then on was widely used to decorate different types of objects, from paintings to lacquers, from mirrors to netsuke. Although there were no Portuguese living in Japan after 1639, Japanese artists continued to depict them throughout the Edo period (1615-1868) as they represented distant, mysterious peoples and satisfied Japanese curiosities and desires for the exotic. Taken together, this art with subjects with Western influences is known as Nanban and the term is also used to identify Japanese goods made specifically for export to Europe.Painted screens (Nanban byobu) comprise a very interesting area of Nanban art from both the historical and artistic standpoints. Considering the large number of known examples, they are an important phenomenon in thehistory of Japanese art. Currently, we know of at least ninety including many pairs, single screens, and fragments (A Catalogue Raisonné of the Nanban Screens, Tokyo 2008). Generally these screens with portrayals of Europeansare attributed to the Kano school, since signatures of members of this familyof painters appear on Nanban paintings, while others are stylistically similar to the manner of these artists. However, Nanban screens are so diverse that it would be reckless to say that they all belong to the Kano school.From the iconographic standpoint, there are some recurrent details we seein several screens. It is as if the painters did not only get their inspiration maybe from observing the Portuguese while they were still allowed to live freely in Japan, and not only knew of some sources such as the engravings by Jan Huygen van Linschoten (1563-1611) in his Itineraria (Amsterdam 1596; A. Curvelo in Encomendas: Os Portugueses no Japao da Idade Moderna - Namban Commissions: The Portuguese in Modern Age Japan, Lisbon 2010, nos. 47-48), but were evidently influenced by earlier paintings of the same subjects. The Portuguese ship, for example, can be seen in many of these paintings as it departs from a distant port, or as it is about to land on the Japanese coast. The Japanese painters were highly skilled in narrative renderings and they succeeded in depicting events that followed the arrival of the Portuguese within the available surface space. One of these is the scene showing the procession's entry into the Japanese city, almost always welcomed by the missionaries who already lived there. This type of procession was usually headed by the most important member of the group followed by the others, each of whom carried something. The "Western style" chair was almost a constant: the dignitary would use it to restor to participate in a meeting. Often the group was preceded by a boy holding a dog on a lead, and the porters included dark-complexioned Asian servants.The scene on the screen here fits entirely with the above description. It differs only in that it is focused on the head of the procession; that lacks a setting (originally, it could have a setting coated now); that the figures are big, much bigger than those usually depicted on Nanban screens in which there are more figures and much more complex scenes.Even though these scenes are quite common on Nanban screens, some - with the procession - are much more similar to the one shown here, specifically, the scene on the right screen on the pair in the Atami MOA (no. 41 in the 2008 catalogue), the scene on the two surviving panels in a private collection (no. 42) and the one in the Osaka Municipal Museum (no. 43, also a fragment). On the basis of the grouping done by the curators of the 2008 catalogue these three screens along with other fifteen (nos. 36-53), comprise a homogeneous core in terms of iconography. The prototype has been identified as the pairin the Imperial Collection (no. 7). On the right screen of this pair there is a similar scene but without the dignitary's interlocutor; the man carrying the parasol is also Portuguese and not a Moor; the man behind is carrying a box rather than a chair. Furthermore, the figures are shown in three-quarter views. Notwithstanding these differences, there are stylistic similarities between thepair of screens in the Imperial Collection and the painting discussed here, in the rendering of the figures which are bigger than those in other known examples, and in the painted details, especially the decorations on the clothing (Light and Shadows in Nanban Art. The Mystery of the Western Kings on Horseback, Tokyo 2011, no. 7). Therefore, it is plausible that the anonymous author of the screen displayed here looked to a detail on one of these for his own piece. The proposed dating for all the screens in this group, including the prototype is similar, i.e. the first half of the seventeenth century.Most of the Nanban screens have six panels which offered the artist a very large surface and hence a full composition. However, there are other two-panels screens with scenes of foreigners (cat. I1.3). Generally, Nanban paintings present complex scenes in detailed settings with many figures and descriptive elements. Our screen with its special characteristics, therefore, is an exception. In this regard, we can mention the screen in the Museu do Oriente in Lisbon (cat. II.1), in which the gold ground is clearly prevalent, creating the impression that the figures are floating in space. [...] read more here: https://veritas.art/en/lot/an-important-nanban-two-panel-folding-screen-344191846/In “Japan The Land of Enchantment – Line and Colour”Catálogo da exposição no Palácio Pitti, 2012. Reproduzido com autorização do autor Catalogue of the exhibition at the Pitti Palace, 2012. Reproduction authorized by the author.FRANCESCO MORENAAsian Art Expert
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