Page 170 - Fine Japanese Art March 27, 2020 Galerie Zacke Netsuke and Okimono

ARTIST PROFILE: HOSHUNSAI MASAYUKI

186 | HOSHUNSAI MASAYUKI: A VERY RARE
AND SPECTACULAR STAG ANTLER
OKIMONO OF BODHIDHARMA
By Hoshunsai Masayuki, signed Masayuki with kakihan
Japan, Asakusa, Tokyo, second half of 19th century

A superbly carved stag antler okimono depicting a windswept
Bodhidharma (Daruma). Bodhidharma, depicted here in Chinese
style, is shown wearing a hat carved near the corona of the antler,
his bushy eyebrows and beard sensitively carved. His face is carved
with extremely fine detail, the eyes formed by two concentric rings,
typical for the artist. His expression resonates with wisdom. The
face builds quite a contrast towards the rest of the carving which
is covered in the typical porous and rough texture of the stag
antler, which is considerably difficult to carve around. Probably
Masayuki had already carved a couple of his very fine netsuke from
this branch of antler and had kept this section of ‘waste material’
to create this spectacular carving. Bodhidharma is completely
enveloped in his robe, which sways in the wind to his left, dictated
by the natural shape of the antler. His finely carved feet stand on a
separately carved and removable base. The underside of the base,
heavily porous, shows the signature MASAYUKI 正之 and kakihan.
HEIGHT (with base) 13.2 cm
Condition: Excellent condition with minor flaws to the material, note
the flaws to the back of the hat.
Provenance: Ancient collection Charles Cartier-Bresson (1853-1921)
collection no. 472. Charles Cartier-Bresson was a textile industrialist
and art collector specializing particularly in works from Japan. He is
the great uncle of famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Old
collection number to base.
Literature comparison: For another figure of Daruma by Masayuki
see Poole, John: Collecting Legends: Art and Ethnography. In:
Journal of the International Netsuke Collectors Society, Vol. 8, no. 2,
September 1980, p. 53, no.4 (left).
Estimate EUR 7.000,-
Starting price EUR 3.500,-

Portrait of Charles Cartier-Bresson by Jean-Matthias Schiff
in the Museum of Fine Arts Nancy

166 167