| Antique
Japanese Wood Netsuke Kara
Shishi
Holding Puzzle Ball Netsuke
Signature: Minkoku. Circa: 18th Century Inro
and Netsuke, Tokyo Nation Museum Collection, page 99 #206 h.
1.4 in.(3.6cm), w. 1.4 in.(3.6cm), d. 1.25 in.(3cm)
Condition: age crack, o.a. very good!
Private Collection
| Beautifully
carved late 18th Century Kara Shishi with bold delineation, compact form and classic
proportions. The hieratic features represent a traditional Chinese guardian lion
with large ears hovered back against two row of mane, four sections of curling
masses in snail curls, and six deeply carved long mane covered nearly all its
back. The lion's thick eyebrows are deeply furrowed above the bulging eyes, flared
nostrils and bared teeth in a carved through open jaws. With his four claws he
is tightly gripping a large ball; which is also carved through with a free rolling
small ball inside. Superb design in symmetrical composition and strong definition
of engraved lines, this netsuke exemplifies the ambiance of the period in the
Edo area. An excellent netsuke specimen created by the famed netsukeshi Minkoku.
A similar Shishi netsuke by the master is currently in the collection of the Tokyo
National Museum.
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