Galerie Zacke
Lot 15
A VERY LARGE AND SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A FOREIGNER WITH DOGUnsignedJapan, c. 1800, Edo period (1615-1868)Published: Barry Davies Oriental Art (1990) Netsuke Classics, no. 49.Netsuke Kenkyukai Study Journal (NKSJ) vol. 12, no. 3, p. 49.International Netsuke Society Journal (INSJ), vol. 20, no. 3, p. 22.An impressively large and superbly carved wood netsuke depicting a foreigner, most likely of Chinese descent, holding a shaggy-haired dog in both hands. He wears a large conical hat and Chinese robes, the area around the collar is, quite unusually, inlaid in dark-reddish wood. His facial expression appears to be one of distress, the mouth agape, and the eyes wide open. A curved sabre in its scabbard is slung from his waist. Large, asymmetrical himotoshi through the back.HEIGHT 14.6 cmCondition: Excellent condition, the wood slightly worn with a good patina.Provenance: European private collection. Sold at Sotheby’s London, 8 June 2000, lot 129 (hammer price 75,000 GBP), where it was acquired by Barry Davies.Literature comparison:Barry Davies supposed that this carver was active on the Ryukyu Islands. Several similar examples are known and can be attributed to this hand. One, described as a Dutchman and dog, was exhibited at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in January 1975, and is illustrated in the International Netsuke Society Journal (INSJ), vol. 3, no. 1, p. 22.
