Ɏ A HUMOROUS OSAKA SCHOOL IVORY NETSUKE OF TANUKI DISGUISED AS A SAKE VENDOR

Ɏ A HUMOROUS OSAKA SCHOOL IVORY NETSUKE OF TANUKI DISGUISED AS A SAKE VENDOR Unsigned Japan, Osaka, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) The mythical creature standing upright with its double gourd sake flask in one hand, holding a lotus leaf in the other. With a wry look on its face, the tanuki is wearing an oversized lotus-leaf hat, its curved tail nestled into a bulge of the hat. The large eyes are inlaid in lustrous dark horn. Himotoshi through the tail and the hat. HEIGHT 5 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and expected age cracks. One inlaid eye is replaced. Provenance: Private collection in Denmark. Lempertz Cologne, 16 December 2020, lot 823. German private collection, acquired from the above. The tanuki possesses magical powers and can change forms, sometimes into Buddhist monks; they are jovial and love drinking sake, but are also dangerous, as they have been known to suffocate hunters with their enormous scrotums. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a tanuki, 5.4 cm high, dated late 18th century, at Christie’s, Japanese Ceramics & Works of Art, 8 November 2007, London, lot 9 (sold for GBP 7,500). Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a tanuki disguised as a sake vendor, 4.5 cm high, dated 19th century, at Lempertz, Netsuke-Sammlung Kolodotschko II, 6 December 2014, Cologne, lot 928 (sold for EUR 4,960). 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.