Ɏ A FINE IVORY NETSUKE DEPICTING A PAIR OF SNAILS

Ɏ A FINE IVORY NETSUKE DEPICTING A PAIR OF SNAILS Unsigned Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved as two snails, the smaller crawling along the larger snail’s shell, both with slimy bodies naturalistically rendered with crosshatch incision work, the shells subtly incised and stained. Generously excavated, asymmetrical himotoshi foot of the larger snail. Beautiful, deep honey-yellow patina to the underside. LENGTH 4.4 cm Condition: One tentacle of the smaller snail restored. Otherwise good condition with minor wear and age cracks. Provenance: Lempertz, Asian Art, 25 June 2021, Cologne, lot 906. German private collection, acquired from the above. 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.