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Description

AN UNUSUAL ROOTWOOD FIGURE OF A FUGU (PUFFER) FISH AN UNUSUAL ROOTWOOD FIGURE OF A FUGU (PUFFER) FISH Japan, Edo period (1615-1868) The burled and knotted rootwood of attractive grain and color, left mostly untreated save for the front and back which have been carved to subtly render the fish’s face with open mouth and bulging eyes, two small fins, as well as its long tail. LENGTH 21 cm Condition: Very good condition with old wear, minor age cracks, the underside with small losses which likely occurred before the piece was carved, occasional light scratches. Provenance: British collection.

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AN UNUSUAL ROOTWOOD FIGURE OF A FUGU (PUFFER) FISH AN UNUSUAL ROOTWOOD FIGURE OF A FUGU (PUFFER) FISH Japan, Edo period (1615-1868) The burled and knotted rootwood of attractive grain and color, left mostly untreated save for the front and back which have been carved to subtly render the fish’s face with open mouth and bulging eyes, two small fins, as well as its long tail. LENGTH 21 cm Condition: Very good condition with old wear, minor age cracks, the underside with small losses which likely occurred before the piece was carved, occasional light scratches. Provenance: British collection.

Estimate 800 - 1 600 EUR
Starting price 800 EUR

* Not including buyer’s premium.
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For sale on Tuesday 03 Sep : 11:00 (CEST)
vienna, Austria
Galerie Zacke
+4315320452
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SARI: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A PAIR OF BLOWFISH (FUGU) SARI: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A PAIR OF BLOWFISH (FUGU) By Sari, signed Sari 左里 Japan, Iwashiro province, c. 1800-1820, Edo period (1615-1868) A pleasingly tactile and ideally rounded group of two blowfish, their distended bodies curling around each other, head to tail, in the form of a double comma (tomoe). The bold and simple design is finely executed with clever use of staining, their underbellies being masterfully stippled in ukibori. Natural himotoshi through one of the tail fins. Signed to the base SARI within the typical raised elliptical reserve. LENGTH 4.1 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor surface wear and light scratches. Tiny chips along the fins, smoothened over time. Provenance: From an old German private collection. The fugu fish blows up like a ball when threatened and its white flesh is highly prized in Japan. However, a poison sac in the fish’s entrails is so deadly that a chef must train for years before he can serve it, when it is traditionally arranged presented in paper-thin slices in the design of a chrysanthemum or a crane. Even so, deaths still occur as a result of fugu poisoning. Museum comparison: For a closely related pair of blowfish, by Sari, see Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number AC1998.249.22. Auction comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of two fugu fishes by Sari, early 19th century, at Bonhams, The Julius and Arlette Katchen Collection of Fine Netsuke - Part I, 8 November 2016, London, lot 163 (sold for 5,000 GBP).