Project Description

Osaka School Ivory netsuke of a Grooming Tiger

One rubbery foreleg rather implausibly raised above its head as it licks the underside of a hind leg. The eyes are inlaid in dark horn.  The stripes of the coat are highlighted with sumi-e ink     

Unsigned. Circa 1780    

Height: 3.8 cm

PROVENANCE: Edward H. Witte, Emiel Veranneman,  Franco Gennaro and Teddy Hahn collections

Private collection, Australia

LITERATURE: Eskenazi, ‘Japanese netsuke, ojime, inro and inro from a european collection’, 1998, no. 109

Sydney L. Moss Ltd. ‘More Things in Heaven and Earth’, 2006, no. 16

Rosemary Bandini, ‘Japanese netsuke from the collection of Teddy Hahn’, 2014, no. 26

This is by a very distinctive and recognisable hand. Compare with two netsuke, one in the Gould collection (p. 129 in the catalogue), the other with very dark stain in Earle, ‘Netsuke, Fantasy and Reality ….’, p. 286, no. 248

MR3512

         

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