A fine and precisely carved work with dark brown contrasting staining of the ivory. The old crouched man has a monkey-like face, but that is not all. He is wearing a full-length garment, his hair in a bun, and is operating a barrel with one finely carved “hand”. A peak on the underside however reveals paws and a thick tail, which is not a monkey tail but that of a tanuki, which has the ability to shapeshift and could transform into a priest. Small himotoshi on the side and the signature on the underside of the barrel HOGYOKU. The artist was a student of the great Hojitsu from Edo/Tokyo.

Category:

Netsuke

Subcategory:

-

Subject:

Mythological

Material:

Ivory

Age/Country:

19th Century

Artist:

Hogyoku

Provenance/Owner:

Galerie Zacke

Signed:

signed

Type:

Katabori

Height:

40mm mm

Width:

mm

Depth:

mm

ID number: