Page 126 - Fine Japanese Art September 25, 2020 Galerie Zacke Netsuke and Sagemono

rArE MATErIALS, SEALS, ASHTrAyS & LACQUEr NETSUKE

255 | A FINE SpERM WhALE TOOTh NETSUKE
OF A NAKED MAN TYING hIS FUNDOShI
Unsigned
Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Carved from a perfectly smooth and shimmering sperm whale
tooth and depicting a naked man tying his fundoshi (loin cloth),
presumably after a bath. He is visibly delighted; his facial features
are carved expressively, and the perfection of the material used
conveys his cleanliness very well. One foot is raised, the toes are
crisply carved, and the arm which ties the fundoshi in the back
forms an arch, which functions as the ‘natural himotoshi’. The
carving is polished to an extremely high degree and feels smooth
to the touch.
HEIGHT 6.5 cm
Condition: Excellent condition.
Provenance: German private collection.

Literature comparison:
A related piece in ivory is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
formerly in the Bushell collection, accession no. M.91.250.167.
Estimate EUR 2.500,-
Starting price EUr 1.250,-

254 | ShURAKU: A FINE NARWhAL TUSK ShUNGA
NETSUKE OF A BOY WITh OKAME MASK
By Kawamoto Shuraku, signed Shuraku 舟楽
Japan, Edo, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Carved from a beautifully lustrous section of a narwhal tusk, a
material that was preferred by the Edo artist Kawamoto Shuraku.
Depicted is a young boy, wearing a sleeveless jacket, opened in
the middle and revealing his naked body, an amusingly grimacing
Okame mask suggestively placed before his body and covering his
private parts. The boy’s expression is sensitively crafted, the mouth
is slightly opened, and his hair is finely incised and inked. Large,
generously excavated and asymmetrical himotoshi through the
reverse and signed within a raised oval reserve SHUrAKU.
HEIGHT 5.2 cm
Condition: Good condition with natural age cracks.
Provenance: British collection.

Estimate EUR 1.500,-
Starting price EUr 750,-

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