29th Oct, 2021 13:00

Fine Netsuke & Sagemono

 
  Lot 6
 

6

Ɏ A TALL AND MASSIVE IVORY NETSUKE OF GAMA SENNIN

Sold for €22,752

including Buyer's Premium


Lot details

Unsigned
Japan, late 17th to 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Boldly carved standing with his toad clambering on his shoulder and head, wearing a loose-fitting robe tied at the waist and opening at the chest, revealing the emaciated rib cage, as well as an apron and skirt of artemisia leaves. His hands are raised toward his face with the mouth wide open in a joyous expression, the eyes with large dark pupils. His long, curly hair arranged in two buns at the front. Two large asymmetrical himotoshi to the back.

HEIGHT 13.1 cm

Condition: The feet with old chips, which have largely smoothened over time. Minor natural age cracks. Good condition, appealingly worn, fine honey-gold patina.
Provenance: French private collection.

The present netsuke belongs to a group of well-known, idiosyncratic sennin netsuke, all likely coming from the same carver or workshop, probably in Kyoto during the early 18th century if not in the late 17th century.

Literature comparison:
A closely related 18th-century ivory netsuke of Gama Sennin is illustrated in Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A comprehensive study based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p. 333, no. 1014, and in Hurtig, Bernard (1973) Masterpieces of Netsuke Art: One Thousand Favorites of Leading Collectors, p. 192, no. 802; another, described as “possibly by the same artist” as the netsuke illustrated by Davey, is illustrated in Eskenazi (1993) Japanese netsuke from the Carré collection, p. 43, no. 8; and a third, with replaced feet, is illustrated in Joly, Henri L. (1966) The W. L. Behrens Collection, Part 1, Netsuke, pl. XLV, no. 3455.

Auction comparison:
A closely related netsuke from the same workshop and of similar size was sold at Van Ham, Asiatische Kunst, 3 December 2015, Cologne, lot 2273 (sold for 45,150 EUR). Another closely related but slightly smaller ivory netsuke of Gama Sennin, dated to the late 18th century, at Bonhams, The Harriet Szechenyi Sale of Japanese Art, 8 November 2011, London, lot 80 (sold for 23,750 GBP). Compare also a tall and early ivory netsuke of Shoki, carrying an oni on his shoulder in much the same manner as our Gama Sennin carries his toad, of slightly larger size and also unsigned, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 16 April 2021, Vienna, lot 12 (sold for 25,280 EUR).

 

Unsigned
Japan, late 17th to 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Boldly carved standing with his toad clambering on his shoulder and head, wearing a loose-fitting robe tied at the waist and opening at the chest, revealing the emaciated rib cage, as well as an apron and skirt of artemisia leaves. His hands are raised toward his face with the mouth wide open in a joyous expression, the eyes with large dark pupils. His long, curly hair arranged in two buns at the front. Two large asymmetrical himotoshi to the back.

HEIGHT 13.1 cm

Condition: The feet with old chips, which have largely smoothened over time. Minor natural age cracks. Good condition, appealingly worn, fine honey-gold patina.
Provenance: French private collection.

The present netsuke belongs to a group of well-known, idiosyncratic sennin netsuke, all likely coming from the same carver or workshop, probably in Kyoto during the early 18th century if not in the late 17th century.

Literature comparison:
A closely related 18th-century ivory netsuke of Gama Sennin is illustrated in Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A comprehensive study based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p. 333, no. 1014, and in Hurtig, Bernard (1973) Masterpieces of Netsuke Art: One Thousand Favorites of Leading Collectors, p. 192, no. 802; another, described as “possibly by the same artist” as the netsuke illustrated by Davey, is illustrated in Eskenazi (1993) Japanese netsuke from the Carré collection, p. 43, no. 8; and a third, with replaced feet, is illustrated in Joly, Henri L. (1966) The W. L. Behrens Collection, Part 1, Netsuke, pl. XLV, no. 3455.

Auction comparison:
A closely related netsuke from the same workshop and of similar size was sold at Van Ham, Asiatische Kunst, 3 December 2015, Cologne, lot 2273 (sold for 45,150 EUR). Another closely related but slightly smaller ivory netsuke of Gama Sennin, dated to the late 18th century, at Bonhams, The Harriet Szechenyi Sale of Japanese Art, 8 November 2011, London, lot 80 (sold for 23,750 GBP). Compare also a tall and early ivory netsuke of Shoki, carrying an oni on his shoulder in much the same manner as our Gama Sennin carries his toad, of slightly larger size and also unsigned, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 16 April 2021, Vienna, lot 12 (sold for 25,280 EUR).

Zacke Live Online Bidding

Our online bidding platform makes it easier than ever to bid in our auctions! When you bid through our website, you can take advantage of our premium buyer's terms without incurring any additional online bidding surcharges.

To bid live online, you'll need to create an online account. Once your account is created and your identity is verified, you can register to bid in an auction up to 12 hours before the auction begins. 

Create an Account

  

Intended Spend and Bid Limits

When you register to bid in an online auction, you will need to share your intended maximum spending budget for the auction. We will then review your intended spend and set a bid limit for you. Once you have pre-registered for a live online auction, you can see your intended spend and bid limit by going to 'Account Settings' and clicking on 'Live Bidding Registrations'. 

Your bid limit will be the maximum amount you can bid during the auction. Your bid limit is for the hammer price and is not affected by the buyer’s premium and VAT.  For example, if you have a bid limit of €1,000 and place two winning bids for €300 and €200, then you will only be able to bid €500 for the rest of the auction. If you try to place a bid that is higher than €500, you will not be able to do so.

 

Online Absentee and Telephone Bids

You can now leave absentee and telephone bids on our website! 

Absentee Bidding

Once you've created an account and your identity is verified, you can leave your absentee bid directly on the lot page. We will contact you when your bids have been confirmed.

Telephone Bidding

Once you've created an account and your identity is verified, you can leave telephone bids online. We will contact you when your bids have been confirmed.

Telephone Bidding Form

 

Classic Absentee and Telephone Bidding Form

You can still submit absentee and telephone bids by email or fax if you prefer. Simply fill out the Absentee Bidding/Telephone bidding form and return it to us by email at office@zacke.at or by fax at +43 (1) 532 04 52 20. You can download the PDF from our Upcoming Auctions page. 

 

How-To Guides

How to Create Your Personal Zacke Account
How to Register to Bid on Zacke Live
How to Leave Absentee Bids Online
How to Leave Telephone Bids Online

 

中文版本的操作指南 

创建新账号
注册Zacke Live在线直播竞拍(免平台费)
缺席投标和电话投标

 

Third-Party Bidding

We partner with best-in-class third-party partners to make it easy for you to bid online in the channel of your choice. Please note that if you bid with one of our third-party online partners, then there will be a live bidding surcharge on top of your final purchase price. You can find all of our fees here. Here's a full list of our third-party partners:

  • 51 Bid Live
  • EpaiLive
  • ArtFoxLive
  • Invaluable
  • LiveAuctioneers
  • the-saleroom
  • lot-tissimo
  • Drouot

Please note that we place different auctions on different platforms. For example, in general, we only place Chinese art auctions on 51 Bid Live.

  

Bidding in Person

You must register to bid in person and will be assigned a paddle at the auction. Please contact us at office@zacke.at or +43 (1) 532 04 52 for the latest local health and safety guidelines.