HOKKYO SHIMA SESSAI: A RARE AND SUPERB WOOD SASHI NETSUKE OF FUKUROKUJU GETTING A SHAVE
HOKKYO SHIMA SESSAI: A RARE AND SUPERB WOOD SASHI NETSUKE OF FUKUROKUJU GETTING A SHAVE
By Hokkyo Shima Sessai (1820-1879), signed Sessai 雪斎 to 刀
Japan, Echizen province, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
Published:
Joly, H. L. (1913) Catalogue of the H. Seymour Trower Collection of Japanese Art, no. 56, illustrated on pl. D.
Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p. 266, no. 821.
Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part B, p. 724.
Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures, vol. 2, p. 939.
Kurstin, Joe (1994) Netsuke: Story Carvings of Old Japan, Epcot Centre, Disney World, p. 40.
Earle, Joe (2001) Netsuke: Fantasy and Reality in Japanese Miniature Sculpture, p. 158, no. 124.
Exhibited:
Eskenazi Oriental Art, 19-24 September 1991, San Francisco International Netsuke Convention
Epcot Center, Disney World, Orlando, Florida, 11 May 1993-10 May 1997
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, September 2001-November 2002
Carved with mastery and charm, the amusingly tall head of the seated Fukurokuju twisting up like a tree, wrapped by the rope scaffolding the barbers require to shave the highest point of his head. The body of Fukurokuju, only a fifth the size of the rest of his head, is enveloped in the front by his bushy beard, his face wearing a bemused look with full cheeks and elongated lobes. One barber summitting the god's tall head, leaning over the side with a razor as the other clings to the side of his head with a comb. Signed along the side of the head SESSAI to ['carved by Sessai']. The pale wood has a rich, dark patina in the recesses.
HEIGHT 16 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor typical wear, a natural age crack to the side of Fukurokuju, and small repairs to the left hand and comb of one barber.
Provenance: Ex-collection of H. Seymour Trower. Ex-collection of J. Bellhouse Gaskell. Glendining's Auction, 8 March 1926, lot 832. Ex-collection of G.E. Duveen, acquired from the above. Glendining's Auction, July 1952. Ex-collection of Isobel Sharpe, acquired from the above. Ex-collection of Mark T. Hindson, acquired from the above. Sotheby's London, 26 June 1967, lot 299. Ex-collection of Emiel Veranneman, acquired from the above. Ex-collection Joe Kurstin, acquired from the above. Dr. M. Joseph 'Joe' Kurstin (1931-2021) was a prominent Miami ophthalmologist who arguably built one of the greatest netsuke collections of all time. He was known by netsuke and inro lovers worldwide and made many lifelong friends in this tight-knit community. He published several books and articles on the subject and generously lent his collection for exhibitions at the Yale University Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Epcot Center at Disney World, and The Tobacco and Salt Museum, Tokyo.
Hokkyo Shima Sessai (1820-1879) was an excellent carver who earned the honorary title of Hokkyo during his lifetime and served the lord of the Echizen clan. Sessai was a master of exaggeration, using his artistic license to endow his netsuke with humor. His work is scarce as he died at a relatively young age; only 15 netsuke from his hand have been documented. Using primarily wood, Sessai's works are powerful and original, never failing to display some point of artistry in each carving, often using distortion to bring the pieces to life.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related tall wood netsuke of Ashinaga, by Sessai and signed Sessai, in Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p. 265, no. 819..Also compare a related sashi netsuke of a hossu (Buddhist fly whisk), by Sessai and signed Sessai, illustrated in Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures, vol. 2, p. 940.
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HOKKYO SHIMA SESSAI: A RARE AND SUPERB WOOD SASHI NETSUKE OF FUKUROKUJU GETTING A SHAVE
By Hokkyo Shima Sessai (1820-1879), signed Sessai 雪斎 to 刀
Japan, Echizen province, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
Published:
Joly, H. L. (1913) Catalogue of the H. Seymour Trower Collection of Japanese Art, no. 56, illustrated on pl. D.
Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p. 266, no. 821.
Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part B, p. 724.
Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures, vol. 2, p. 939.
Kurstin, Joe (1994) Netsuke: Story Carvings of Old Japan, Epcot Centre, Disney World, p. 40.
Earle, Joe (2001) Netsuke: Fantasy and Reality in Japanese Miniature Sculpture, p. 158, no. 124.
Exhibited:
Eskenazi Oriental Art, 19-24 September 1991, San Francisco International Netsuke Convention
Epcot Center, Disney World, Orlando, Florida, 11 May 1993-10 May 1997
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, September 2001-November 2002
Carved with mastery and charm, the amusingly tall head of the seated Fukurokuju twisting up like a tree, wrapped by the rope scaffolding the barbers require to shave the highest point of his head. The body of Fukurokuju, only a fifth the size of the rest of his head, is enveloped in the front by his bushy beard, his face wearing a bemused look with full cheeks and elongated lobes. One barber summitting the god's tall head, leaning over the side with a razor as the other clings to the side of his head with a comb. Signed along the side of the head SESSAI to ['carved by Sessai']. The pale wood has a rich, dark patina in the recesses.
HEIGHT 16 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor typical wear, a natural age crack to the side of Fukurokuju, and small repairs to the left hand and comb of one barber.
Provenance: Ex-collection of H. Seymour Trower. Ex-collection of J. Bellhouse Gaskell. Glendining's Auction, 8 March 1926, lot 832. Ex-collection of G.E. Duveen, acquired from the above. Glendining's Auction, July 1952. Ex-collection of Isobel Sharpe, acquired from the above. Ex-collection of Mark T. Hindson, acquired from the above. Sotheby's London, 26 June 1967, lot 299. Ex-collection of Emiel Veranneman, acquired from the above. Ex-collection Joe Kurstin, acquired from the above. Dr. M. Joseph 'Joe' Kurstin (1931-2021) was a prominent Miami ophthalmologist who arguably built one of the greatest netsuke collections of all time. He was known by netsuke and inro lovers worldwide and made many lifelong friends in this tight-knit community. He published several books and articles on the subject and generously lent his collection for exhibitions at the Yale University Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Epcot Center at Disney World, and The Tobacco and Salt Museum, Tokyo.
Hokkyo Shima Sessai (1820-1879) was an excellent carver who earned the honorary title of Hokkyo during his lifetime and served the lord of the Echizen clan. Sessai was a master of exaggeration, using his artistic license to endow his netsuke with humor. His work is scarce as he died at a relatively young age; only 15 netsuke from his hand have been documented. Using primarily wood, Sessai's works are powerful and original, never failing to display some point of artistry in each carving, often using distortion to bring the pieces to life.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related tall wood netsuke of Ashinaga, by Sessai and signed Sessai, in Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p. 265, no. 819..Also compare a related sashi netsuke of a hossu (Buddhist fly whisk), by Sessai and signed Sessai, illustrated in Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures, vol. 2, p. 940.
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Reserve
Time, Location
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