Project Description
Fine Boxwood Netsuke of a Rotting Pear by Bazan
With a small bone maggot inside. One seed visible in the exposed core. The skin of the fruit has ukibori pimples
Signed in ukibori. 2nd half 19th century
Length: 4 cm
Provenance:
Possibly V.-F. Weber (see literature)
Literature:
Probably V.-F. Weber’s own, illustrated in his ‘Ko-ji Hô-ten’, pp.51-2, fig. 47.
According to Meinertzhagen, the dark areas were produced by singeing. He was also informed by a Mr. Köhler that Bazan’s pears were intentionally perfumed with the scent of the Japanese nashi pear. I tend to scepticism here, as one wonders how that would be achieved, and I have not observed much perfume on a nashi. In all events, no sign of it now.
MR5310
