Beschreibung:

A FINE IVORY NETSUKE OF ONO NO KOMACHI SEATED ON A SOTOBA BY CHIKUHO Katalognummer: NE1118-064 Ivory netsuke Japan late 19th century, early Meiji period (1868-1912) Published: Illustrated in ‘Netsuke & Inro Artists and how to read their signatures’ by George Lazarnick, 1981, page 332 Ono no Komachi, one of the great 6 poets of the 9th century, once a beautiful and vibrant woman is depicted here as an old woman seated on a gravepost, her beauty faded and wearing tattered clothes. She is forgotten by the courtly world in which she once shone and is reduced to beg and starve on the side of the road. The netsuke is carved in extraordinary detail, her facial features are particularly expressive – squinted eyes, wrinkles and sharp chin. She is holding a staff and next to her is a basket with fruit she has collected from bypassing travelers. The artist has devoted great attention to her tattered clothes as well as her large hat which has several holes in it. The sensitivity of the depiction is particularly evident in small details like the posture of her feet, which are placed on top of each other. Note the finely expressed grain of the sotoba. Himotoshi through the side and underside, where the signature can be found in a rounded reserve CHIKUHO. HEIGHT 3.6 CM, LENGTH 5 CM Condition: Excellent condition Provenance: Formerly Herman and Paul Jaehns collection and Newark Museum no. 4070. Then collection of Sam Felton with CITES permit no. 18US59513C/9. Purchased from Denise Ronin with letter of Appraisal from Ronin Gallery dated June 28th, 1983. Literature: Chikuho was probably a student of Chikusai, a similar netsuke by Chikusai is illustrated in The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum Part A, Frederick Meinertzhagen (edited by George Lazarnick), New York, 1986, page 26. Schätzpreis 估價: € 1.000 Startpreis 起拍價: € 500 -