A LARGE HIRADO PORCELAIN 'BOY WITH MASK' NETSUKE

A LARGE HIRADO PORCELAIN NETSUKE OF A BOY WITH DAIKOKU MASK
Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

A larger than usual porcelain netsuke of a karako (Chinese boy) holding a Daikoku mask in front of him, one foot placed over the other in a dancing posture. A variety of glazes are used for this netsuke – deep blue and brown for the boy's robe and Daikoku's hat, and gray for the lucky god's beard and eyebrows. The rest is left unglazed providing a beautiful contrast to the deep blue glaze. Large, asymmetrical himotoshi through the back.

HEIGHT 6.3 cm

Condition: Excellent condition with only very little expected firing flaws.
Provenance: Hungarian private collection.

Literature comparison:
Compare with a similar porcelain netsuke of a karako with shishi head in the British museum, accession no. Franks.1462. and illustrated in Tsuchiya (2014) Netsuke: 100 miniature masterpieces from Japan, p. 21, no. 1.

This netsuke was fired in the Mikawachi area kilns of Hizen province (current Nagasaki and Saga Prefectures) in Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan. The official kiln of the Hirado clan was located there, and the area's kilns generally produced fine white porcelain, for both the domestic and European markets, from the later part of the seventeenth century to the present day.