Sold for €7,800
including Buyer's Premium
By Hogen Rantei, signed Rantei 蘭亭
Japan, Kyoto, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
A large and compact netsuke depicting Kadori Myojin clambering atop a namazu trying to calm its movements by pressing down its head with a hyotan (double gourd), wearing only a fundoshi (loincloth), the man’s legs wide apart, his muscular body finely outlined, their eyes inlaid. Generously excavated himotoshi underneath, signed in the typical manner of the artist in sosho (cursive script) RANTEI.
LENGTH 6 cm
Condition: Very good condition, minor surface wear, a minuscule chip to one gill.
Provenance: European collection.
Wood netsuke by Rantei, who earned the honorary Buddhist title of Hogen during his lifetime, are rare, his favored medium for netsuke being ivory. Furthermore, the present subject seems to be unrecorded.
Legend has it that certain types of catfish (namazu) are responsible for the earthquakes that plague the islands of Japan. When aroused, these creatures would contort their bodies in such a way that gigantic tremors shook the area for miles and miles. The Shinto deity Kadori Myojin usually attempts to prevent such catastrophe with the help of his magic gourd.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related ivory netsuke of a man with blowfish by Rantei, note the closely related facial features, illustrated in Arakawa, Hirokazu, The Go Collection of Netsuke. Tokyo National Museum, 1983, p.84-85, no. 150.
By Hogen Rantei, signed Rantei 蘭亭
Japan, Kyoto, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
A large and compact netsuke depicting Kadori Myojin clambering atop a namazu trying to calm its movements by pressing down its head with a hyotan (double gourd), wearing only a fundoshi (loincloth), the man’s legs wide apart, his muscular body finely outlined, their eyes inlaid. Generously excavated himotoshi underneath, signed in the typical manner of the artist in sosho (cursive script) RANTEI.
LENGTH 6 cm
Condition: Very good condition, minor surface wear, a minuscule chip to one gill.
Provenance: European collection.
Wood netsuke by Rantei, who earned the honorary Buddhist title of Hogen during his lifetime, are rare, his favored medium for netsuke being ivory. Furthermore, the present subject seems to be unrecorded.
Legend has it that certain types of catfish (namazu) are responsible for the earthquakes that plague the islands of Japan. When aroused, these creatures would contort their bodies in such a way that gigantic tremors shook the area for miles and miles. The Shinto deity Kadori Myojin usually attempts to prevent such catastrophe with the help of his magic gourd.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related ivory netsuke of a man with blowfish by Rantei, note the closely related facial features, illustrated in Arakawa, Hirokazu, The Go Collection of Netsuke. Tokyo National Museum, 1983, p.84-85, no. 150.
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