A FINE AND LARGE LACQUERED GOURD NETSUKE WITH A CHUBBY HARE AMONGST AUTUMN GRASSES

A FINE AND LARGE LACQUERED GOURD NETSUKE WITH A CHUBBY HARE AMONGST AUTUMN GRASSES

Unsigned
Japan, late 19th century

A dual function netsuke serving both as a toggle and a container for powdered ink. The lacquerer has chosen a remarkably large and attractively shaped natural gourd bearing a beautiful grain. The design is lacquered in mostly gold takamaki-e and hiramaki-e with a chubby rabbit in a field of tall grasses and blossoming kiku (chrysanthemum). Banded at the waist with a silver twisted cord with a loose ring cord attachment serving as the himotoshi and finished with a silver chrysanthemum fitting and screwed stopper.

HEIGHT 7.5 cm

Condition: Very good condition with minor surface wear.
Provenance: Ex-collection Charles Greenfield. Helmut Laudenbach, Munich, 1985. Private collection of Heidi Haupt-Battaglia (1921-2019), Switzerland, acquired from the above on 8 February 1985. A copy of the collector's notes, confirming the provenance above, and stating a purchase price of CHF 3,300 (or approx. EUR 5,400 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. The original label from Helmut Laudenbach, Munich, is attached to the collector's notes.

Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related lacquered gourd netsuke, formerly in the Avery Brundage collection, in the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, accession no. B70Y156.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related lacquered gourd netsuke, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 29 October 2021, Vienna, lot 313 (sold for EUR 2,102).