Page 52 - Fine Japanese Art Auction November 2 2019 Galerie Zacke

54 | A WOOD NETSUKE OF A TENGU STIRRING MISO
Unsigned
Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

A wood netsuke of a tengu holding his amusingly long nose in both
hands to stir miso in a bowl held between his feet. He is wearing
a tokin cap, and his long hair and the wings in the back are carved
with extraordinary detail. Appealing patina to the dark accentuated
wood. Good, irregular himotoshi on the underside.
HEIGHT 3.5 cm

Condition: Very good
condition.
Provenance: The Gabor
Wilhelm Collection.
The tengu are mythical forest
dwellers, led by their king
Sojobo and can take on a
fully human form. They are
often associated with erotic
netsuke (shunga) due to their
long nose, and often depicted
together with the naughty
Shinto goddess Okame.

Estimate EUR 1.200,-
Starting price EUR 600,-

55 | A FINE WOOD NETSUKE
OF THREE MUSHROOMS
Unsigned
53 | A RARE STAG ANTLER SHUNGA NETSUKE Japan, probably Nagoya, early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
OF OKAME AND TENGU MASKS

Unsigned A group of three mushrooms (take) of ascending size, their broad
Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) caps elegantly overlapping. The surface of the caps is smooth and
beautifully stained. The underside carved with meticulous detail and
an incredibly sense of naturalism, showing the stems and ribbed
Carved as the mask of the Shinto goddess Okame behind the mask surface of the underside of the caps. Natural himotoshi. The quality
of a long-nosed tengu. Okame is suggestively grinning at the phallic of the carving could suggest a Nagoya artist, such as Tadatoshi.
shape of the exaggeratedly long nose. The use of the material is
superior. A branch section of antler was used, with the long nose HEIGHT 2.5 cm, LENGTH 4.5 cm
resembling a natural branch, brilliantly utilized. The central section
is hollow. Only the underside really shows the characteristic porous Provenance: The Gabor
surface of the antler, the rest appears like beautifully stained ivory. Wilhelm Collection.
One pierced himotoshi and the other natural through the hollow Condition: Excellent condition.
section between the two masks.
Due to the phallic shape
HEIGHT 3.3 cm, LENGTH 6.3 cm of mushrooms, they are
often seen as erotic netsuke
Condition: Very good condition. (shunga).
Provenance: The Gabor Wilhelm Collection.
Estimate EUR 1.500,-
Estimate EUR 2.500,- Starting price EUR 750,-
Starting price EUR 1.250,-

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