Wood netsuke of a tiger

Wood netsuke of a tiger by Sukenaga 

Gnawing on a branch which it pins down with its front paws.  The eyes are double inlays of horn, the right one wandering to the right from the strain of chewing

Signed: Sukenaga.  Hida Takayama.  Circa 1860

Length: 4.8 cm

Provenance: 

Reputedly H.G. Beasley collection (not in the 1984 sale)

Literature: 

Malcolm Fairley Japanese Works of Art, Netsuke from a Private European Collection, Part II, 2008 , no. 36

MR2630