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Lot Y811
Fine netsuke of a shishi with ivory ball
Estimated Value:
8.000 € - 12.000 €
Result:
incl. Premium and VAT
Description:
Japan, underside sign. Mitsuharu, late 18th cent.H, 4,8 cm
The shishi powerfully turns its head backwards and places its forepaws over a ball lying between its hind legs. The hair strands, which are arranged almost symmetrically, curl into small balls at the tip. The upper row of teeth is visible in the open mouth, while the tongue lies between the teeth of the lower jaw. Pupils inlaid in horn. This is an excellent work by Mitsuharu from Kyoto, who is mentioned in the "Sôken kishô" of 1781 and was a contemporary of Tomotada and Okatomo. As the black engravings of the fur and brows show hardly any abrasion, this netsuke was probably worn very little. The artistry of Mitsuharu lies above all in the way he has created an animal in dynamic body rotation from a piece of material as thick as a tetrahedron.
Formerly an old French private collection, according to Ütradition collected before 1995
Mitsuharu (光春) belongs to the Kyoto school of netsuke carvers and was active in the late 18th to early 19th century. He specialised in depictions of animals, especially the shishi, often with a ball (tama). His figures are usually compact and clearly built, with emphasised mouths of fine engravings and typical spiral curls. Many pieces have inset horn eyes and show a patina that emphasises the details. The signature is usually in an oval cartouche on the underside.
Cf. a shishi and ball by Mitsuharu, published in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part A, p. 532; Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 10 November 2011, London, Lot 56 - EU marketing authorisation for this lot has been granted
