Project Description
Wood Netsuke of a Fisherman and Octopus by Ittan
The fisherman who wears the grass skirt typical of his trade does his best to control the octopus beneath him with the outcome far from a foregone conclusion. One visible eye of the octopus is double inlaid in buffalo horn, while the man’s pigtail is held by an inlay of bone, and his shirt is fastened with 3 inlaid buttons
Signed Ittan with kaō. Nagoya. Circa 1850
Length: 3.8 cm
Provenance:
T. Shrire, sold at Sotheby’s London, 11th June 1973, lot 37
Bought by Saul Rosenbaum
Since in his family
Fuld lists only two netsuke by Ittan of the subject, the other previously in the Seymour Trower collection, lot 108 in his sale
MR5089
