A VERY RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF A MERMAN

A VERY RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF A MERMAN
Unsigned
Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
Finely carved as a merman, half man and half fish, depicted in motion, swimming through water, one hand touching his tail fin, which curls underneath and is held close to the body for compactness, and the other hand holding a branch of coral before him. The scales are meticulously rendered, formed by large, connected half-circles and the long hair, which flows down the shoulders and arms, is neatly incised. Natural himotoshi between the arm and body. The ivory bearing a beautifully lustrous patina, the details are stained with sumi (ink).
LENGTH 5.3 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few natural age cracks and natural imperfections.
Literature comparison:
Compare to a closely related wood netsuke of a mermaid with tama, ex-Behrens collection, illustrated in Barry Davies Oriental Art (2002) Netsuke and Inro from European Collections, no. 137.
Auction comparison:
Compare to a closely related wood netsuke of a merman with tama, at Bonhams, The Harriet Szechenyi Sale of Japanese Art, 8 November 2011, London, lot 63 (
sold for 4,375 GBP
). Also compare to an ivory netsuke of a mermaid, style of Ogawasara Issai, at Bonhams, The Harriet Szechenyi Sale of Japanese Art, 8 November 2011, London, lot 70 (
sold for 6,875 GBP
).
This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.