The monkey is holding a peach, the branch visible on the underside, between his left arm and right leg and is taking a healthy bite, while scratching himself with his other hand. The netsuke perfectly embodies the visible satisfaction of the monkey. Hogen Rantei became famous for his incredibly detailed and naturalistic representations of animals. He was a master of hairwork, Lazarnick even compares his hairwork to that of Kaigyokusai, a comparison which is especially evident in this piece. But what really distinguished him, which can be seen in some of his best netsuke, are little details which make the depiction come to life – like the monkey biting into the fruit producing tiny wrinkles on one side of the mouth, as he bites slightly lopsided into it. The eyes are inlaid in deep black horn, producing a wild expression, and the very typical signature can be found in a rounded reserve in sosho script RANTEI. Natural himotoshi through the legs.

Category:

Netsuke

Subcategory:

-

Subject:

Animal

Material:

Ivory

Age/Country:

19th Century

Artist:

Rantei

Provenance/Owner:

Galerie Zacke

Signed:

signed

Type:

Katabori

Height:

28mm mm

Width:

mm

Depth:

mm

ID number: