Page 112 - Fine Japanese Art March 27, 2020 Galerie Zacke Netsuke and Okimono

105 | NAKAMURA TOSHIMARU:
A SPECTACULAR IVORY NETSUKE OF
AN EAGLE WITH THREE MONKEYS

By Nakamura Toshimaru, signed Chikushu Nakamura Toshimaru
Japan, Hakata, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

A powerful and dynamic scene of an eagle clutching not one, but
three monkeys (!), between its talons, as it greedily fixates them, its
beak opened dramatically, tongue pressed forward greedily, and
the inlaid pupils of lustrous dark horn inset at the very front for
further dramatic effect. The ivory is heavily stained, black for the
feathers, which show superb hairwork, and the crown and beak
are purposely left white. The monkeys show some red pigment,
suggesting blood where the talons have pierced through their
bodies, as they screech and cower in agony. The signature is neatly
incised in a rectangular reserve chikushu NAKAMURA TOSHIMARU
中村利丸. Natural himotoshi between the left wing and one of the
monkey’s paws.
HEIGHT 3.8 cm
Condition: One tiny, professionally done and invisible to the naked
eye, restoration to the very tip of the left wing. Very good condition
with minor expected wear to staining.
Provenance: Sotheby’s, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, 7 April
2004, Olympia, lot 94. Then British collection.
This extremely rare Hakata carver (only the present netsuke
appears to be recorded) was a pupil, together with Matsushita
Otoman and Nakamura Toshimitsu, of Bokugyuken Toshiharu. The
expressions of the monkeys and the position of the pupils in the
eagle are very much reminiscent of Otoman’s work.

Literature comparison: Compare with a similar netsuke by
Nakamura Toshimitsu in Rutherston & Bandini, ‘Japanese Netsuke’,
May 2013, no. 26 (illustrated on the front and back cover). Also
compare to a similar netsuke in Bernard Hurtig, Masterpieces of
Netsuke Art, page 78, no. 255, where the signature is undeciphered
but presumably reads Bokugyuken. Note the similarities in the
manner of carving and the placement of the signature, neatly
written inside a rectangular reserve.
Estimate EUR 25.000,-
Starting price EUR 12.500,-

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