Sold for €2,600
including Buyer's Premium
By Toshiyama Soko (1868–1935), signed Soko 藻晃 with kakihan
Japan, Osaka, c. 1910, Meiji period (1868-1912)
Of muso-zutsu type, finely incised in shishiaibori (sunken relief) with the two eccentric Zen immortals Kanzan (Hanshan) and Jittoku (Shide), dressed in voluminous robes, the facial expressions carved with wisdom and humor as they study an open scroll. The rim with the cord attachment in the form of an eyelet. Signed to the back SOKO with kakihan. The pale wood is of an attractive grain and is finely polished.
Above the signature is a lengthy inscription of a stanza from a poem in the Kanshi-kan, Sanyo Ikoshu [The collection of (Rai) Sanyo's posthumous works of Chinese poems] by Rai San'yo (1780-1832), a leading Confucian scholar and literati figure. The poem inscribed is as follows: “He (Jittoku/ Shide) once tried to go out into the human world with a broom to sweep the dust, but it was a difficult task. He became known to the world as a virtuous hermit, but he did not realize it, and he cursed Bukan (Fenggan) for his talkativeness. He was even more virtuous and pure in the fact that he did not take notice of the fact that he had come out of his own accord)”.
LENGTH 20.8 cm
Condition: Excellent condition.
Provenance: From the private collection of Maybelle Dore. Maybelle (Betty) Dore started collecting Japanese antiques in the postwar years, during the 1950s and 1960s, when interest in Japanese art was generally very low. For her business she ventured to Japan on her own to assemble netsuke and related works of art, including pipe cases and kogo (incense containers). Betty was also a founding member and the first Chairman of the International Netsuke Society, Northern California Chapter.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related pale wood kiseruzutsu with tabako-ire, the pipe case by Toshiyama Soko, Meiji-Taisho period, similarly incised with a poem, at Bonhams, The Edward Wrangham Collection of Japanese Art, 15 May 2012, London, lot 151 (sold for GBP 3,750).
By Toshiyama Soko (1868–1935), signed Soko 藻晃 with kakihan
Japan, Osaka, c. 1910, Meiji period (1868-1912)
Of muso-zutsu type, finely incised in shishiaibori (sunken relief) with the two eccentric Zen immortals Kanzan (Hanshan) and Jittoku (Shide), dressed in voluminous robes, the facial expressions carved with wisdom and humor as they study an open scroll. The rim with the cord attachment in the form of an eyelet. Signed to the back SOKO with kakihan. The pale wood is of an attractive grain and is finely polished.
Above the signature is a lengthy inscription of a stanza from a poem in the Kanshi-kan, Sanyo Ikoshu [The collection of (Rai) Sanyo's posthumous works of Chinese poems] by Rai San'yo (1780-1832), a leading Confucian scholar and literati figure. The poem inscribed is as follows: “He (Jittoku/ Shide) once tried to go out into the human world with a broom to sweep the dust, but it was a difficult task. He became known to the world as a virtuous hermit, but he did not realize it, and he cursed Bukan (Fenggan) for his talkativeness. He was even more virtuous and pure in the fact that he did not take notice of the fact that he had come out of his own accord)”.
LENGTH 20.8 cm
Condition: Excellent condition.
Provenance: From the private collection of Maybelle Dore. Maybelle (Betty) Dore started collecting Japanese antiques in the postwar years, during the 1950s and 1960s, when interest in Japanese art was generally very low. For her business she ventured to Japan on her own to assemble netsuke and related works of art, including pipe cases and kogo (incense containers). Betty was also a founding member and the first Chairman of the International Netsuke Society, Northern California Chapter.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related pale wood kiseruzutsu with tabako-ire, the pipe case by Toshiyama Soko, Meiji-Taisho period, similarly incised with a poem, at Bonhams, The Edward Wrangham Collection of Japanese Art, 15 May 2012, London, lot 151 (sold for GBP 3,750).
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