MASTERFULLY CARVED WALRUS IVORY RYUSA MANJU NETSUKE DEPICTING AN OLD DRAGON

Attributed to Hasegawa Ikko, walrus ivory ryusa manju netsuke with mother of pearl and dark horn inlayJapan, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The beautifully openworked ryusa manju depicts a contorted wise and old dragon. The scales are carved precisely, and the difficult material is utilized to perfection, the porous structure of walrus ivory mirroring the depiction of the evanescent aged dragon. The dragon’s expression is anything but ferocious, but rather whimsical, with dense and furrowed brows – a stark contrast to the young and ferocious dragons usually depicted in netsuke art. The claws in the front and the eyes are inlaid in mother of pearl, and the long barbels are inlaid in dark horn. Singular himotoshi on the reverse. The quality and style of the carving, the expression and the style of inlay are all coherent with carvings of Hasegawa Ikko, one of the most influential netsukeshi of the 19th century.DIAMETER 5 CMCondition: Excellent conditionProvenance: British collectionLiterature comparison: Compare to a manju with dragon and Tiger signed Ikko in The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum Part A, Frederick Meinertzhagen (edited by George Lazarnick), New York, 1986, page 223.Auction comparison: Compare to a similar unsigned manju sold at Sotheby’s, Netsuke From the Collection of Raymond and Frances Bushell, London, 18 November 1999, lot 225.

Category:
Netsuke
Subcategory:
-
Subject:
Animal Mythological
Material:
Marine ivory
Age/Country:
19th Century
Artist:
-
Provenance/Owner:
Galerie Zacke
Signed:
signed
Type:
Ryusa Manju
Height:
mm
Width:
50mm mm
Depth:
mm
ID number:

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