Ɏ ANRAKU: A SUPERB IVORY NETSUKE OF HOTEI

Ɏ ANRAKU: A SUPERB IVORY NETSUKE OF HOTEI By Shukosai Anraku(sai), signed Anraku 安樂 Japan, Osaka, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) A superbly carved and stained ivory netsuke of the pot-bellied lucky god Hotei standing laughing with his head tilted upwards, his hands linked behind his back, the sparse hair to his chin and torso minutely incised. Hotei is dressed in a loose robe delicately stippled in masterful ishime and belted at the waist, exposing his chest and distended belly. Generously excavated and asymmetrical himotoshi to the back and signed ANRAKU in boldly incised characters to the underside. HEIGHT 4.1 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor expected surface wear. Provenance: Christie’s, Selected Netsuke, Ojime and Inro, Part 1, 25 October 1984, London, lot 41 (sold for GBP 3,240). Ex-collection Guy de Lasteyrie, acquired from the above. De Lasteyrie is a member of the Lasteyrie du Saillant family and is considered among the leading French collectors of netsuke. Literature comparison: This figure of Hotei, particularly the carving of the deity’s linked hands, are reminiscent of Kyoto Masanao’s boxwood netsuke of Hotei, 18th century, illustrated in Sagemonoya (2004) Ninety-Nine Netsuke & One Inro, p. 10-11, no. 13. Auction comparison: Anraku was a student of the famous Ohara Mitsuhiro (1810-1875) and clear parallels can be drawn between the present lot and ivory netsuke depicting Hotei by Mitsuhiro. Furthermore, both carvers excelled in the use of ishime. Compare a related ivory netsuke of Hotei in a bag by Mitsuhiro at Lempertz, The Kolodotschko Collection of Netsuke, 6 December 2014, Cologne, lot 869 ( sold for EUR 18,600). Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number FR2207507622-K). 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.