Antique
Japanese Ivory Netsuke
Skeleton
Holding Sutra Plaque
Signature: Gyokuzan, Circa: 19th Century
H 1.8 in.(4.5cm), W 1.25 in.(3cm), D 1 in.(2.5cm)
Condition: excellent! What
are we when we are stripped of life and flesh? What sustains and is retained at
the moment of death and through the cycles. This 19th century ivory netsuke rides
on the edge of potency, poignancy, humor and revelation. Essential to the Buddhist
practice is the transient nature of all things: form is empty and always changing.
In Japan this is approached head on in the funerary rites. Relatives of the deceased
are expected to pick up the bone shards with chopsticks and ceremonially place
them into a funerary urn. This particular netsuke is in truth a harbinger of great
good fortune. The finely detailed ivory a squatting skeleton holds a burial marker
that says: “Glorious Magical Sutra”. Glorious magical sutra indeed: “No eyes,
no ears, no nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sound, smell, or taste. Emptiness
is form and form is emptiness.” Such are the evocations of the Heart Sutra or
the Prajnaparamita which brings the practitioner into that which sustains transience.
Signed by Gyokuzan, this netsuke is an exceptional example of the carver’s naturally
wry artistry that evokes complex subjects with a candid humor that touches many
levels of the psyche. (SD)
| 
Private Collection |
