A
very rare 35 inches tusk carving depicting the Seven Lucky Gods, a collection
of wealth bestowing deities that originated from a mixture of Shinto belief and
Japanese folklore. The piece is remarkable for its size, the fact that the entire
tusk has been used by the artist despite the expense. In the case of netsuke,
where only a small portion is carved in great detail, here we have a sharp contrast:
over twenty-five inches is beautifully sculpted, a testament to extravagance and
befitting a group of deities known to be solely concerned with enabling our desires.
The piece is Japanese, signed, and originating from sometime in the early Meiji
era.
The
Seven Lucky Gods occupy the center position of the tusk, flanked by two karako,
perched in support as additional signs of luck. Each figure is painted, deep blues
and reds dominate the scene, though there are browns, purples, and gold foil inlays.
Gingko trees peak out behind the figures, colored a leafy green. The coloring
and texture of the ivory itself is quite remarkable, immaculately smooth and shiny
with a light golden patina. A truly beautiful piece of ivory that pays homage
to its source, the elephant, by remaining whole. At some point in the pieces’
history, repairs were made to close the three major crack lines that inevitably
appeared in the long tusk. The capped end shows where a few small chips have been
made and repaired. Luckily, the seven gods and their features are untouched by
any damage. There is a cached signature in red on the end cap of the piece reading
Seiushi, a Japanese carver of which there are no known records. The piece has
been restored to fair condition.
