7th Nov, 2025 13:00
Fine Netsuke & Sagemono
282
GYOKUSO: A SUPERB SO SCHOOL INLAID WOOD NETSUKE OF A NOH ACTOR WEARING AN OKAME MASK
€4,000
€8,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
By Ouchi Gyokuso (1879-1944), signed Gyokuso 玉藻
Japan, Tokyo, first half of the 20th century
Exquisitely carved, the figure depicts a Noh actor wearing a smiling Okame mask, captured in a dynamic pose - slightly bent forward, one hand delicately lifting the hem of his robe. A playful touch enlivens the scene: a single bean rests atop his head, an allusion to the Setsubun festival ritual of scattering beans to banish evil spirits.
The long robe is masterfully incised with remarkable precision, adorned with auspicious motifs that highlight the texture of the garment and contrast strikingly with the smooth planes of the face and hands. From the actor’s belt hangs a finely detailed sagemono set, comprising an inro, a small coral-inlaid ojime, and an ebony netsuke carved in the form of a pine cone. The garment is further embellished with bone-inlaid roundels.
The cord attachment is ingeniously integrated, formed by an opening beneath a fold of the obi, which also bears the neatly incised signature GYOKUSO.
HEIGHT 5.3 cm
Provenance: James Graham & Sons, 1950. Ex-collection Cornelius V.S. Roosevelt, acquired from the above. Sotheby’s, The Cornelius V.S. Roosevelt Collection of Netsuke, 2 June 1992, lot 254. The private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, acquired from the above. Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt III (1915–1991), grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, was an American intelligence officer and business executive, educated at Harvard and MIT, and later served in the CIA. A keen collector, he amassed an important collection of Japanese netsuke. Alan Hartman (1930-2023) was an influential American art dealer, who took over his parents’ antique business in Manhattan and established the legendary Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. His wife Simone (née Horowitz) already served as assistant manager of the New York gallery before the couple were married in 1975, and together they built a renowned collection for over half a century and became noted art patrons, enriching the collections of important museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (which opened the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013) as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Notably, they assembled an impressive collection of Japanese art, focusing on fine netsuke, inro, and lacquer.
Condition: Excellent condition.
Ouchi Gyokuso (1879-1944) was the father of Ouchi Sosui (1911-1966) and together with Morita Soko (1879-1942) the most important pupil of Miyazaki Joso (1835-1910), the founder of the important So school in Tokyo.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related wood netsuke of a candy vendor by the same artist, signed Gyokuso, at Bonhams, The Bluette H. Kirchhoff Collection of Netsuke and Sagemono, 16 September 2009, New York, lot 2044, (sold for USD 12,200, or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
By Ouchi Gyokuso (1879-1944), signed Gyokuso 玉藻
Japan, Tokyo, first half of the 20th century
Exquisitely carved, the figure depicts a Noh actor wearing a smiling Okame mask, captured in a dynamic pose - slightly bent forward, one hand delicately lifting the hem of his robe. A playful touch enlivens the scene: a single bean rests atop his head, an allusion to the Setsubun festival ritual of scattering beans to banish evil spirits.
The long robe is masterfully incised with remarkable precision, adorned with auspicious motifs that highlight the texture of the garment and contrast strikingly with the smooth planes of the face and hands. From the actor’s belt hangs a finely detailed sagemono set, comprising an inro, a small coral-inlaid ojime, and an ebony netsuke carved in the form of a pine cone. The garment is further embellished with bone-inlaid roundels.
The cord attachment is ingeniously integrated, formed by an opening beneath a fold of the obi, which also bears the neatly incised signature GYOKUSO.
HEIGHT 5.3 cm
Provenance: James Graham & Sons, 1950. Ex-collection Cornelius V.S. Roosevelt, acquired from the above. Sotheby’s, The Cornelius V.S. Roosevelt Collection of Netsuke, 2 June 1992, lot 254. The private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, acquired from the above. Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt III (1915–1991), grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, was an American intelligence officer and business executive, educated at Harvard and MIT, and later served in the CIA. A keen collector, he amassed an important collection of Japanese netsuke. Alan Hartman (1930-2023) was an influential American art dealer, who took over his parents’ antique business in Manhattan and established the legendary Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. His wife Simone (née Horowitz) already served as assistant manager of the New York gallery before the couple were married in 1975, and together they built a renowned collection for over half a century and became noted art patrons, enriching the collections of important museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (which opened the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013) as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Notably, they assembled an impressive collection of Japanese art, focusing on fine netsuke, inro, and lacquer.
Condition: Excellent condition.
Ouchi Gyokuso (1879-1944) was the father of Ouchi Sosui (1911-1966) and together with Morita Soko (1879-1942) the most important pupil of Miyazaki Joso (1835-1910), the founder of the important So school in Tokyo.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related wood netsuke of a candy vendor by the same artist, signed Gyokuso, at Bonhams, The Bluette H. Kirchhoff Collection of Netsuke and Sagemono, 16 September 2009, New York, lot 2044, (sold for USD 12,200, or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
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Auction: Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 7th Nov, 2025
We're pleased to present our final Fine Netsuke & Sagemono Auction of the year.
The sale opens with a distinguished group of fine inro, representing a wide range of materials, lacquer techniques, and artistic styles. Among these, a particular highlight—and one of the most significant works to appear in our rooms in recent years—is the complete inrō set by Ogawa Haritsu, illustrating The Twelve Months. First published in 1928 (F. M. Jonas – Netsuke), this exceptional set now appears on the market for the first time (lot 11).
The inrō are followed by an excellent selection of sagemono, including notable examples by the esteemed artist Hasegawa Ikko (lots 68–73). Learn more.
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Viewing
3 - 6 November 2025
10 am - 6 pm
7 November
10 am - 12 pm
as well as by appointment
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