Unsigned
Japan, Tokyo, Asakusa district, second half of the 19th century
The tobacco container carved from a thick section of antler near the coronet, depicting a charming bat wrapped in its wings, stretching over its head and holding the cord. With a hinged lid carved in low relief with the kanji character 壽 kotobuki (‘long life’ or ‘felicity’). The antler attractively stained and bearing a good patina, the eyes of the bat inlaid in dark horn.
HEIGHT 8.5 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and natural imperfections.
Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related antler tonkotsu of a bat, similarly posed, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number AC1998.249.320, formerly in the Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related antler tonkotsu in the form of a lotus leaf, carved from a similar section of antler, unsigned, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 2 December 2022, Vienna, lot 183 (sold for EUR 4,940).
You can find images of this item taken under natural daylight below. Click on an image to zoom in or save.
If there are no natural light images for this item, please email us at office@zacke.at or use the request form below.
Log in or sign up to view the natural light images.
Click here to request more information on this lot.
Click the red 'Buy it Now' button to buy this item. You will then be able to download your invoice and receive instructions about how to pay. Prices include Buyer's Premium.
If you would like to buy multiple items at the same time, add the items you want to your cart. You will then be able to check out with multiple items simultaneously.
Items in your cart are not reserved. Please complete the purchase process promptly to secure the items.
If you would like to buy one of these items outside of the online shop, please contact us at office@zacke.at or +43 (1) 532 04 52.
As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our auctions fair and transparent, we encourage you to read our terms and conditions thoroughly. We urge you to read through §34-50) to ensure you understand them. These terms are specifically designed to protect all serious and committed buyers from bidding against non-payers who attempt to inflate prices without the intent of paying their auction bills.
For further reading about non-payers at auction, go here: https://www.zacke.at/aboutnonpayers/.
The main points include the following:
If you have any questions about our policies, please get in touch with us at office@zacke.at.
By placing a bid, you agree to our Terms of Auction and Terms and Conditions.