Until 2nd May, 2025
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AN EARLY ANTLER NETSUKE DEPICTING A RAT ON A BAMBOO SHOOT
LOT 261 - NE0524
Unsigned
Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
The elongated bamboo shoot with overlapping nodes naturalistically carved with rhizomes at the base and a single small rat seated at its center. The carver used the natural curvature of the antler to imitate the twisting bamboo shoot, ingeniously adding the separately carved rat to plug a naturally hollow section of the material. Asymmetrical himotoshi through the underside, the larger hole generously excavated to accommodate the knot. The antler bearing a beautiful, deep patina.
LENGTH 8.5 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, a small abrasion next to the rat, and expected natural flaws.
Provenance: Collection of Y. Lee, Tokyo. Collection of Fritz Niescher, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. Fritz Niescher (1889-1974) was a Chemnitz entrepreneur who built an impressive collection comprised of Japanese works of art and modern art. His extensive collection included works by Ernst Barlach and Otto Dix. Pieces from his collection have been part of traveling exhibits since his death, and many are housed today in the Ernst Barlach Haus in Hamburg.
Bamboo sprouts, known as take no ko, grow in late spring after the rainy season. They grow very quickly with some varieties growing up to 30 cm a day; the edible sprouts mostly come from the bamboo variety Phyllostachys heterocyclis or bambusoides. Their quick growth is associated with successful upstarts in business, which are called ugo no take no ko (bamboo shoots after the rain). The rat is a familiar of the lucky god Daikoku and is a symbol of wealth, thus in combination with bamboo shoots likely signify ‘may your wealth grow fast’.
Museum comparison:
Compare a near-identical antler netsuke of a rat on a bamboo shoot, unsigned, dated 19th century, in the Linden-Museum Stuttgart, accession number Trumpf; 3174e.
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