Page 53 - Fine Japanese Art March 27, 2020 Galerie Zacke Netsuke and Okimono

48 | OKAKOTO: A SUPERB
IVORY NETSUKE OF A TIGER
By Yamaguchi Okakoto, signed Okakoto
Japan, Kyoto, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

A masterful, compact and powerful representation of a seated
and snarling male tiger with his chubby, finely carved paws pushed
firmly against the ground and his thick tail curling up around his
side. The fur coat is inked and has been worn through generations
of handling, especially to the back, which is smooth to the touch
and shows a fine yellowish patina. The defining attribute of this
netsuke, however, is the facial expression, which is amusingly
ambiguous - as if the tiger forgot how to roar. The pupils are
inlaid in reddish horn. Signed underneath in a rectangular reserve
OKAKOTO 岡言.
HEIGHT 3.4 cm
Condition: Good condition with expected age cracks and wear to
fur coat.
Provenance: English private estate.

Yamaguchi Okakoto, pupil of Yamaguchi Okatomo, was a brilliant
carver and excelled at carvings of animals. His work is considerably
more rare than those of other members of the Oka- school.
Auction comparison: For a reclining tiger by Okakoto see Bonhams,
The Harriet Szechenyi Sale of Japanese Art, 8 November 2011,
London, lot 128.
Estimate EUR 8.000,-
Starting price EUR 4.000,-

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