Catalog (1391)

19th century netsuke of poet Hitomaro wearing his official coat and ritual hat, leaning on a low table thoughtfully contemplating the world as if seeking inspiration for one of his poems. Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a famous poet and aristocrat of the late Asuka Period (7th/8th centuries), and is considered one of the Thirty Six Poetry Immortals of Japan. Wonderful carving with great intense face, excellent staining, wear and patina. Signed RYOKOSAI on the bottom - the artist is listed on p. 893 ...

Extremely unusual and rare 19th century Chinese bone musical wind chimes with a horizontal bar carved with scrolling flowers and supporting 8 suspended hollow tubes. Each tube has a number of large and small holes in its side that allows it to produce a flute like sound as the wind blows through it. Each tube has a different number of holes (left to right, number of large/small holes): 3/6, 2/7, 0/9, 5/7, 4/8, 2/8, 3/4 and 3/9. Must form some sort of musical scale, I guess. Beautifully carved, w...

Pair of early 19th century menuki - Japanese sword fittings - each depicting a pair of pigeons in different attitudes. Superb design, excellent casting and detailing, beautiful patina. Length 1 3/16 inches.

18/19th century small Chinese bronze gilded figure of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara standing on a base raised on a four footed platform, his right hand raised holding a long-stemmed lotus, and a water bottle in double gourd shape pendent from the left hand. His upper torso and head are surrounded by an aureole composed of scrolling flowers and surmounted by a pile of precious gems. The piece was made to be used on a home altar, very well made with great detailing for such a small piece, has wonder...

19th century wooden netsuke representing a fine model of a classic Japanese toy - a pottery monkey, the formalized creature seated with one hand on its stomach, the other one on its knee. Superbly clever design, excellent carving capturing the essence of the object, wonderful thoughtful face with traces of red lacquer. Dark dense kurogaki (black persimmon) wood, beautiful patina with fantastic sheen. Signed NAOTSUGU on the side - the artist is listed in NETSUKE by Neil Davey (p. 503, number 1815...

19c netsuke of 5 boys playing blind man’s buff with 4 of them hiding behind a floor screen, while the blindfolded one is searching on the other side. Rare subject, wonderful carving, nice faces, very good etching of a landscape and pine saplings on the screen, beautiful wear and patina. Length 1 9/16 inches.

Late 18th - early 19th century netsuke of a standing sennin (Chinese sage) holding an open scroll in his hands. Excellent carving on his smiling face, beautiful flowing lines of his robe, precisely incised and etched textile patterns, deep himotoshi in accordance with the habit of the time. The netsuke is of typical 18th century triangular section, old age lines. Beautiful wear to the piece, warm yellow patina, especially on the back where netsuke was touching the silk of kimono. Height 2 3/8 in...

18th century netsuke of a kneeling boy wearing checkered jacket and a theatrical mask of a demon with his hands by his ears intent on listening. Strong early piece with wonderful wear and fantastic honey colored patina on the back where netsuke was touching the silk of kimono. Great vicious mask, wonderful textile pattern (worn in the middle of the back). Old loss to the tips of his fingers on the right hand. Himotoshi (cord openings) going through the back down to the hollowed bottom, which is ...

19th century netsuke of a sitting boy holding a turtle with one hand, and trying to break its shell with a stone that he holds in the other. Unusual subject, strong early carving, wonderful wear consistent with age, beautiful patina with yellowing on the back, where netsuke was touching silk of the kimono. Nice textile patterns, Height 1.41 inches.

19th century kagamibuta (mirror lid) netsuke with metal top depicting Kyoyu - one of 7 Sages of the Bamboo Grove - seated among rocks by a waterfall and cleaning his right ear thus washing off the indecency of the suggestion for him to become an Emperor. Sometimes he is shown with his friend Sofu leading his ox away from the river several miles downstream from the waterfall, so it will not drink water tainted by indecency of the proposal. Wonderful crisp metalwork with inlays and gilding, pleas...

Late 17th to early 18th century devotional Jain bronze of Goddess Padmavati seated on a base with one foot pending. Padmavati is the sasana-devi (protective Goddess) of the 23rd Tirthankara, Lord Parshvanatha. Padmavati is protected by an open hood of a cobra (old loss to the hood) whose body is forming a knot above her shoulders. She is holding an ankus (elephant goad), a lotus stem and a fruit in her hands, and her front right hand is in abhaya (no fear) mudra. Very beautiful devotional wear ...

Rather unusual late 18th to early 19th century Japanese bronze temple decoration fixture of a tennin - a female buddhist angel - as it flies playing a Shu - Japanese musical instrument from a flute group used in Shinto ceremony and consisting of bamboo reeds forming a circular wind chamber. Wonderful design, beautiful flow of her billowing scarves, gilded highlights, great patina. Very well cast, pleasantly heavy, peg on the back for fixing it to a temple or pedestal wall. Length 6 inches.

19th century Satsuma ceramic vase with tear drop body and narrow neck with painted enamel decoration of a seated rakan (one of the 18 original disciples of the Buddha), his raised hand holding a bowl, Benten - the only female among the 7 Gods of Good Fortune - seated next to him, and an attendant boy with box of offerings kneeling between them. Extraordinary high quality detailed painting - see fine depiction of their faces and supremely fine rich clothes with numerous patterns. Raised gold deco...

19th century kagamibuta (mirror lid) netsuke with bronze top depicting kneeling Okame covering her mouth with her hand as she modestly giggles at the very suggestive shape of a huge nose of a tengu mask lying in front of her. Excellent metalwork with gold, silver and copper inlays, beautiful amber colored patina on the bowl. Signed YUKIHIRO on the top - the artist is listed on p. 94 of KAGAMIBUTA MIRRORS OF JAPANESE LIFE AND LEGEND by Dieuwke Eijer. Disc diameter 1 5/16 inches, bowl diameter 2 i...

19th century kagamibuta (“mirror lid”) netsuke with metal plate depicting Okame leaning on a large screen as she grabs the belt of an escaping oni who is carrying a large mushroom in its hand. The netsuke is of shunga type with mushroom bearing not so subtle sexual connotation. Superb quality work with multi-metal inlays and gilding, wonderful faces, great detailing of robe pattern and pine saplings and rising sun on the screen, oni’s left foot is an old loss. Fixed in a bowl with one stab...

Very unusual 19th century multi-metal netsuke in a form of a locking box opening to reveal a portable sundial in one half and a compass in the other, both working. The compass has 12 sections around it, each section is inscribed with a name of a different zodiac animal. The body is bronze, the outside it is delicately chased with scrolling foliage on the front, with constellation points and stars and a swinging loop on the back for hanging. Inserts on the inside are made out of pewter, and needl...

Early 19th century netsuke of Chinese official, poet and calligrapher Toba with a bundle of books on his back riding on a mule accompanied by an attendant. Toba was removed from his post and sent into exile as a result of intrigues against him. Wonderful unhappy face, nice flow to his clothes, beautiful wear and patina turning yellow on the back where netsuke was touching the silk of kimono, compressed dust in crevices. Netsuke of the same subject and by the same carver but done as a mirror imag...

Rather unusual 19th century netsuke carved as a mixture of manju and ryusa shapes. The front depicts a boy with a flute sitting on the back of an ox wading through a shallow stream. This seems to be a variation of bokudo - a theme of a perfect peace of mind, and one of the stages of a journey towards Buddhahood. The back part shows two egrets looking for fish and frogs in a stream. The outside is carved in the round with a scene of 5 peasants hauling two boats by ropes tied to their masts and fi...