Page 209 - Fine Japanese Art Auction November 2 2019 Galerie Zacke

253 | A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE STAG ANTLER
NETSUKE OF A KAPPA NINGYO ATTRIBUTED
TO OZAKI KOKUSAI

Unsigned, attributed to Osaki Kokusai (1835-1892)
Japan, Tokyo, Asakusa, mid to late 19th century

Brilliantly carved in openwork depicting a mermaid (ningyo)
with a long fish-like tail, supple breasts and the head of a kappa,
surrounded by dense and crashing stylized waves. The fantastic
mythical creature holds on to the wave-frame and to a spray of
another wave, the hands crisply carved and the movement of
the composition achieved masterfully, as if the imaginary beast
was floating through a sea of waves. One can only image what it
would be like to be serenaded by this mysterious being. The head
is slightly turned to the right, the mouth is slightly opened, and
the eyes are large and wide-open – a truly enigmatic expression.
The difficult material is masterfully utilized, in typical Kokusai
fashion, carved from a branch point near the coronet, and showing
a wonderful gnarly structure on the sides. Unsigned, however
confidently attributed to Ozaki Kokusai. Natural himotoshi.
HEIGHT 3.1 cm, LENGTH 4 cm
Condition: Excellent condition.
Provenance: French private collection.
Ozaki Kokusai (1835-1892), whose real name was Ozaki Soso, was
the founder of the famous Asakusa school in Tokyo, which was
the center for stag antler carving in Japan during the latter half of
the 19th century, and produced, in their own right, some of the
greatest masterpieces of netsuke art from difficult materials. He
was a modernist, though he still had ties to tradition. Like Shibata
Zeshin, he lived through the dramatic change between the Edo
and Meiji periods and utilized his genius to combine traditionalist
ideas with ambitious modern ideas, leading the way into modern
Japan, also exhibited in this netsuke with the birth of this fantastic
creature.
Literature comparison: Compare the manner of the expression to
a similar netsuke by Ozaki Kokusai in Kokusai the Genius: and Stag-
antler Carving in Japan’, Sydney L. Moss, Ltd., 2016, no. 119.
Estimate EUR 8.000,-
Starting price EUR 4.000,-

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