Unsigned
Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
Boldly carved as a large, finely polished double gourd dimpled to the underside so that the netsuke stands, the opening to the top releasing a ghost-like Tekkai dressed in an artemisia leaf robe and leaning against a cane, his sleeves billowing and smiling benevolently. Natural himotoshi.
HEIGHT 7 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor expected wear and traces of use.
Provenance: St. James Gallery, Zurich, 1983. Ex-collection M. Leitner, Stuttgart, acquired from the above. Auktionshaus Michael Zeller, 26 June 2022, lot 254.Ex-collection Collection of Dr Reinhard Lohrberg (1943-2024), Hanover, acquired from the above.
The subject is quite unusual as one would usually expect a horse to emerge from the hyotan, relating to the Japanese saying hyotan kara koma (lit. ‘a horse in the gourd’), referring to a completely unexpected event that actually comes to pass. Here however, rather amusingly, and even more unexpectedly, the immortal Tekkai, who was known for leaving his body behind to enter the spirit realm, emerges from the same gourd.
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