GISHO: AN IVORY NETSUKE OF A SARUMAWASHI

GISHO: AN IVORY NETSUKE OF A SARUMAWASHI
By Gisho (Gijo), signed Gisho 義證
Japan, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

The monkey trainer depicted standing and beating a drum, while his trained monkey sits on his shoulder, one hand resting on the sarumawashi's head. The clothing of the man is elaborately decorated with large, finely carved leaves against a dotted background. His face is well-carved, as he looks upwards to his left, his mouth opened as if he was chanting. Signed next to the well hollowed-out himotoshi in the reverse - GISHO. The artist appears to be very rare, with only two other netsuke being recorded.

HEIGHT 7.2 cm

Condition: The rope that was once attached to the monkey has been largely lost, furthermore there appears to be some damage to the hand, where the rope passed through. Otherwise good condition, with a fine patina and expected age cracks.
Provenance: French private collection.
Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.