Lot details Unsigned Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) Carved as Otsuyu’s skeleton from the kaidan (ghost story) of the Botan Doro (peony lantern). The skeleton shown here with a large lotus leaf on her head, carrying a large dragon mask on her back, its horns protruding through the leaf, and holding the peony lantern by its side. The details are finely carved. The cord channel runs through underneath the dragon mask. HEIGHT 7 cm Condition: Chip to one horn of the dragon, otherwise good condition with minor wear. Provenance: From the collection of Gaston Lazard (1878-1956) and his wife Jane Levy (1886-1985) and thence by descent within the same family. According to the Kaidan Botan Doro, Otsuyu, a devoted wife, having died, rose nightly from her grave to rejoin her husband secretly. But on revealing the secret he also met a gruesome death. Literature comparison: There are only two other netsuke recorded of this subject. Both are illustrated in Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures (LNIA), Vol. 2, p. 1076, one being signed Tametaka and the other attributed to Tametaka. Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number AT 23-B-0140).
Lot details Unsigned Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) Carved as Otsuyu’s skeleton from the kaidan (ghost story) of the Botan Doro (peony lantern). The skeleton shown here with a large lotus leaf on her head, carrying a large dragon mask on her back, its horns protruding through the leaf, and holding the peony lantern by its side. The details are finely carved. The cord channel runs through underneath the dragon mask. HEIGHT 7 cm Condition: Chip to one horn of the dragon, otherwise good condition with minor wear. Provenance: From the collection of Gaston Lazard (1878-1956) and his wife Jane Levy (1886-1985) and thence by descent within the same family. According to the Kaidan Botan Doro, Otsuyu, a devoted wife, having died, rose nightly from her grave to rejoin her husband secretly. But on revealing the secret he also met a gruesome death. Literature comparison: There are only two other netsuke recorded of this subject. Both are illustrated in Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures (LNIA), Vol. 2, p. 1076, one being signed Tametaka and the other attributed to Tametaka. Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number AT 23-B-0140).
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
