Wood Netsuke of a Snake by Tametaka

Arranged in coils distinctive of the artist, its tongue protruding and the tip of the body curling up towards it. Himotoshi are formed by the coils beneath

Unsigned. Circa 1780

Width 3.6cm

When this netsuke first came to me, I was puzzled that its scales were entirely different from the diaper shaped ones on the last snake by Tametaka which I sold. However, I have compared it closely with photographs of that snake and find that the shape of the head, the kink of the neck behind it and the very distinctive loop of the tail to form the himotoshi are common to both. I have also found the same rounded scales with a single stroke incised in each on a Tametaka of a snake attempting to constrict a turtle, formerly with Scholten in New York (see their Expressions of Style; Netsuke as Art, no. 162). In fact the more I look, the more I find the rounded scales to be the norm. See Bandini, Shishi and Other Animals, p. 82, no. 116)

Project Description