Ɏ A HUMOROUS OSAKA SCHOOL IVORY NETSUKE OF TANUKI DISGUISED AS A SAKE VENDOR

Lot details Unsigned Japan, Osaka, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) The mythical creature standing upright with its double gourd sake flask in one hand, holding a lotus leaf in the other. With a wry look on its face, the tanuki is wearing an oversized lotus-leaf hat, its curved tail nestled into a bulge of the hat. The large eyes are inlaid in lustrous dark horn. Himotoshi through the tail and the hat. HEIGHT 5 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and expected age cracks. One inlaid eye is replaced. Provenance: Private collection in Denmark. Lempertz Cologne, 16 December 2020, lot 823. German private collection, acquired from the above. The tanuki possesses magical powers and can change forms, sometimes into Buddhist monks; they are jovial and love drinking sake, but are also dangerous, as they have been known to suffocate hunters with their enormous scrotums. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a tanuki, 5.4 cm high, dated late 18th century, at Christie’s, Japanese Ceramics & Works of Art, 8 November 2007, London, lot 9 (sold for GBP 7,500). Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a tanuki disguised as a sake vendor, 4.5 cm high, dated 19th century, at Lempertz, Netsuke-Sammlung Kolodotschko II, 6 December 2014, Cologne, lot 928 (sold for EUR 4,960). Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number AT 24-B-0054).Unsigned Japan, Osaka, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) The mythical creature standing upright with its double gourd sake flask in one hand, holding a lotus leaf in the other. With a wry look on its face, the tanuki is wearing an oversized lotus-leaf hat, its curved tail nestled into a bulge of the hat. The large eyes are inlaid in lustrous dark horn. Himotoshi through the tail and the hat. HEIGHT 5 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and expected age cracks. One inlaid eye is replaced. Provenance: Private collection in Denmark. Lempertz Cologne, 16 December 2020, lot 823. German private collection, acquired from the above. The tanuki possesses magical powers and can change forms, sometimes into Buddhist monks; they are jovial and love drinking sake, but are also dangerous, as they have been known to suffocate hunters with their enormous scrotums. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a tanuki, 5.4 cm high, dated late 18th century, at Christie’s, Japanese Ceramics & Works of Art, 8 November 2007, London, lot 9 (sold for GBP 7,500). Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a tanuki disguised as a sake vendor, 4.5 cm high, dated 19th century, at Lempertz, Netsuke-Sammlung Kolodotschko II, 6 December 2014, Cologne, lot 928 (sold for EUR 4,960). Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number AT 24-B-0054).

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