Until 2nd May, 2025
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SARI: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A PAIR OF BLOWFISH (FUGU)
LOT 130 - NE0524
By Sari, signed Sari 左里
Japan, Iwashiro province, c. 1800-1820, Edo period (1615-1868)
A pleasingly tactile and ideally rounded group of two blowfish, their distended bodies curling around each other, head to tail, in the form of a double comma (tomoe). The bold and simple design is finely executed with clever use of staining, their underbellies being masterfully stippled in ukibori. Natural himotoshi through one of the tail fins. Signed to the base SARI within the typical raised elliptical reserve.
LENGTH 4.1 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor surface wear and light scratches. Tiny chips along the fins, smoothened over time.
Provenance: From an old German private collection.
The fugu fish blows up like a ball when threatened and its white flesh is highly prized in Japan. However, a poison sac in the fish’s entrails is so deadly that a chef must train for years before he can serve it, when it is traditionally arranged presented in paper-thin slices in the design of a chrysanthemum or a crane. Even so, deaths still occur as a result of fugu poisoning.
Museum comparison:
For a closely related pair of blowfish, by Sari, see Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number AC1998.249.22.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related wood netsuke of two fugu fishes by Sari, early 19th century, at Bonhams, The Julius and Arlette Katchen Collection of Fine Netsuke - Part I, 8 November 2016, London, lot 163 (sold for 5,000 GBP).
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