SEIYODO TOMIHARU: A RARE WOOD NETSUKE OF A SNAIL ON A TARO LEAF
SEIYODO TOMIHARU: A RARE WOOD NETSUKE OF A SNAIL ON A TARO LEAF
By Seiyodo Tomiharu (1733-1810), signed Nihon...Seiyodo Tomiharu kore o chokoku, Tenmei ni no toki ni, mizunoe tora toshi... 日本...青陽堂富春彫刻之 干時天明二壬寅年...
Japan, Iwami province, dated 1782 (Tenmei 2), Edo period (1615-1868)
Carved from finely stained boxwood and depicting a snail slithering across a folded taro leaf. The composition is full of movement, achieved by the many curls of the stem and leaf, and the foot of the snail, as well as its spiraling shell. The foot of the mollusc is treated with fine ukibori pimples and the veiny structure of the leaf is achieved naturalistically. To top it all off, the entire surface of the leaf is treated with extremely fine ukibori, appearing like waves and simulating the natural surface of the taro leaf - this can only be fully enjoyed when viewed under a magnifying glass or microscope - the sheer skill needed to pull this off is remarkable! One large himotoshi through the underside, the other 'natural' through the leaf. Signed in partially worn ukibori characters Nihon...Seiyodo Tomiharu kore o chokoku, Tenmei ni no toki ni, mizunoe tora toshi... [Seiyodo Tomiharu carved this, in the 2nd year of the Tenmei era, the year of Mizunoe-tora (1782)]
LENGTH 7 cm
Condition: Very good condition - minor professional and invisible touch-ups to the edges of the leaf.
Provenance: European collection.
Auction comparison:
A similar netsuke by Seiyodo Tomiharu was sold at Bonhams, The Robert S. Huthart Collection of Iwami Netsuke Part I, 15 May 2019, London, lot 31 (sold for 16.937 GBP).
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SEIYODO TOMIHARU: A RARE WOOD NETSUKE OF A SNAIL ON A TARO LEAF
By Seiyodo Tomiharu (1733-1810), signed Nihon...Seiyodo Tomiharu kore o chokoku, Tenmei ni no toki ni, mizunoe tora toshi... 日本...青陽堂富春彫刻之 干時天明二壬寅年...
Japan, Iwami province, dated 1782 (Tenmei 2), Edo period (1615-1868)
Carved from finely stained boxwood and depicting a snail slithering across a folded taro leaf. The composition is full of movement, achieved by the many curls of the stem and leaf, and the foot of the snail, as well as its spiraling shell. The foot of the mollusc is treated with fine ukibori pimples and the veiny structure of the leaf is achieved naturalistically. To top it all off, the entire surface of the leaf is treated with extremely fine ukibori, appearing like waves and simulating the natural surface of the taro leaf - this can only be fully enjoyed when viewed under a magnifying glass or microscope - the sheer skill needed to pull this off is remarkable! One large himotoshi through the underside, the other 'natural' through the leaf. Signed in partially worn ukibori characters Nihon...Seiyodo Tomiharu kore o chokoku, Tenmei ni no toki ni, mizunoe tora toshi... [Seiyodo Tomiharu carved this, in the 2nd year of the Tenmei era, the year of Mizunoe-tora (1782)]
LENGTH 7 cm
Condition: Very good condition - minor professional and invisible touch-ups to the edges of the leaf.
Provenance: European collection.
Auction comparison:
A similar netsuke by Seiyodo Tomiharu was sold at Bonhams, The Robert S. Huthart Collection of Iwami Netsuke Part I, 15 May 2019, London, lot 31 (sold for 16.937 GBP).
Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
