Until 1st Jan, 2025
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SHIGEMASA: A STAINED WOOD NETSUKE OF A “TRAPPED” ONI
LOT 155 - NE1124
By Shigemasa, signed Shigemasa 重正
Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
Finely carved as an oni seemingly caught in a straw trap tied around the center, his face peering through the gap with a mischievously confident expression, the large eyes inlaid in ebony and bone. Clearly the oni is quite able to escape his trap, but instead waits for his captor, likely the demon queller Shoki, in order to taunt him. Natural himotoshi through the leafy branch in the back. Signed to the base SHIGEMASA – considering the superb use of staining this may very well be the Shigemasa who is renowned for his snail carvings (lot 174).
HEIGHT 5.1 cm
Condition: Good condition with minor wear, a small restoration to one of the leaves in the back.
Provenance: Ex-collection of His Royal Highness Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. Christie’s, Japanese art and design including netsuke from the estate of his Royal Highness the Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, KG., KT., KP, London, 13 July 2006, lot 569 (sold for GBP 2,400). From the private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, acquired from the above. Prince Henry (1900-1974) was a member of the British royal family and the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was an avid netsuke collector and part of his collection was sold at Christie’s London, on 13 July 2006. 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.
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