Until 1st Jan, 2024
Buy it now
YOSHITOSHI: A SUPERB AND LARGE WOOD NETSUKE OF KAN’U STROKING HIS BEARD
LOT 122 - NE1123
By Yoshitoshi, signed Yoshitoshi 慶寿
Japan, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
Published: Sagemonoya (2022) A Selection of Netsuke & Sagemono from the Collection of Georgina & Gabor Wilhelm, p. 12, no. 9.
A powerfully sculpted and large netsuke of remarkable thickness depicting the God of War Kan’u (Guan Yu) standing proudly and stroking his long and elegantly flowing beard. The legendary general wears a cloud-patterned robe below a cuirass with beast-masked shoulder plates. Note the superbly carved facial features and fingers which curl around his beard and are placed against his hip. Two large himotoshi to the back and signed towards the hem of the robe YOSHITOSHI.
HEIGHT 8.8 cm
Condition: Good condition with minor wear and traces of use. Some light chipping with associated repairs to the edge of the robe in the back.
Provenance: The Gabor Wilhelm Collection, Paris.
Guan Yu (died 220) was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Guan Yu's life was lionised and his achievements glorified to such an extent after his death that he was deified during the Sui dynasty. He is reported to have had a ‘peerless beard’. In the present netsuke he is depicted in a portraitist manner with particular attention devoted to the long beard, which is central to the composition, the eyes of the viewer being immediately drawn to the curved, elegant fingers caressing this legendary figure’s facial hair.
Literature comparison:
Only two works are recorded by this exceptionally rare artist in Fuld's Netsuke and Ojime Index. One depicting Gama Sennin is illustrated in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part B, p. 992, and the other depicts a man tying his fundoshi illustrated in Barry Davies Oriental Art, The Netsuke Collection of W.G Bosshard Part 1, no. 92.
Natural Light Images for Logged-in Users Only
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.
How to Buy Online
You must log in or create an online account in order to buy items from the shop.
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.
How to Buy Offline
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.
Our Terms and Conditions
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:
- Bidders must complete their due diligence and clarify all questions about the objects before the auction. After the auction, Zacke will not answer questions from bidders unless the purchase price has been paid in full. Of course, this does not apply to questions concerning shipping, insurance, customs, etc.
- A sale cancellation of any kind after the fall of the hammer is not possible. The only exception to this fundamental rule is our guarantee of authenticity [the Guarantee].
- A Guarantee Claim, however, can only be raised after the purchase price has been paid in full by the buyer and within 45 days after the auction day.
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.
