LOT ISA Auctionata Auktionen AG  /  Treasures of Asia  / 

5

Boxwood Netsuke of a Shishimai Dancer with Drum, Japan, 19th C.

Currency:EUR Category:Collectibles Start Price:500.00 EUR Estimated At:800.00 - 1,000.00 EUR
Boxwood Netsuke of a Shishimai Dancer with Drum, Japan, 19th C.
Boxwood, pupils made of black horn
Japan, 19th cent.
Figurative katabori netsuke
Highly detailed carving
Dancers hidden under a lion mask
Himotoshi on the base
Dimensions: 3.5 x 4 cm
Good condition
Provenance: Ex collection Dr. Jay Hopkins, Lynchburg, VA; private collection Cologne
Detailed netsuke of a shishimai dancer, which is a traditional performance at Chinese New Year's festival

This katabori netsuke consists of boxwood and was made in the Japanese Meiji period (1868-1911). The netsuke has the shape of a shishimai dancer with a richly detailed face under a lion mask and a drum at his feet. The traditional lion dance is performed at the Chinese New Year's festival. The dance is also an auspicious ritual at an inauguration of a building or before important events. Due to the himotoshi on the base the netsuke can be attached.



The katabori netsuke is in good condition with slight signs of age and wear, such as small nicks here and there. The height measures 3.5 cm and the width is 4 cm.



Japanese Netsuke

Japanese netsuke are small carvings hung on cords as counterweights to the sagemono (‘hanging container’) that were attached to the belt of kimonos, which would otherwise have no pockets. This enabled the wearer to carry small objects like pipes, tobacco, money or other personal belongings. Netsuke were initially made of root wood, but later included ivory, whale and walrus tusk, boxwood, bamboo and stag horn. Netsuke were often mythologically significant. The motif of the ‘Seven Lucky Gods’ was particularly popular, but animals, flowers, fruits and other everyday objects were also carved. Netsuke originated in the late 17th century with the rise of the middle class and remained in use until the 1880s, when the kimono began to go out of style as an everyday item of clothing.
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