Ɏ A FINE IVORY NETSUKE OF A SKELETON

Ɏ A FINE IVORY NETSUKE OF A SKELETON Unsigned Japan, Edo (Tokyo), 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Superbly carved as a seated skeleton with its knees tucked in, hands folded, feet crossed, and chin resting on its hands in a pensive manner. The details are realistically rendered, the chest cavity is superbly carved in openwork. Natural himotoshi. The ivory bearing an attractive color, superbly stained and polished. HEIGHT 5.3 cm Condition: Very good condition with only minor wear. Provenance: Italian private collection, acquired from Pierre-Eric Becker, Cannes, on 12 December 1998. Austrian private collection, acquired from the above. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a skeleton seated in the same pose, unsigned, dated 19th century, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.91.250.120, illustrated in Bushell, Raymond (1961) The Netsuke Handbook of Ueda Reikichi, p. 81, no. 64. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a skeleton, inscribed Gyokko, dated 19th century, at Bonhams, The James A. Rose Collection of Netsuke and Sagemono, 17 September 2013, New York, lot 2083 (sold for USD 18,750). 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.