SHIGEKAZU: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF A TIGER

SHIGEKAZU: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF A TIGER

By Shigekazu, signed Shigekazu 重一
Japan, Tanba Province, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Finely carved as a seated male tiger (tora) with a beautifully worked fur coat, the tiger stripes rendered with polished areas against the neatly incised hairwork, the docile feline turning to its left, rather amusingly trying to appear like a powerful creature, its mouth closed with fangs visible at the corner, and the enigmatic, somber eyes inlaid with lustrously polished, brown horn. The underside shows the well-carved paws and the signature within an oval reserve SHIGEKAZU – a rarely encountered pupil of Shugasai Toyokazu who is widely regarded as the most accomplished pupil of Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856), founder of the Tanba school of carvers.

LENGTH 4.2 cm

Condition: A tiny, old chip to the edge of one paw. A section of the tail has been lost with associated repair. Minor touchup to the right ear.
Provenance: From an old private collection in Geneva, Switzerland.

Auction comparison:
Compare a related wood netsuke of a tiger by Toyokazu at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, Myth, Mirth and Magic – Important Netsuke and Sagemono from the Guy de Lasteyrie Collection, 14 June 2023, Paris, lot 67 (sold for EUR 15,360).