54 - OGASAWARA ISSAI: AN IMPORTANT AND MAGNIFICENT INLAID WOOD NETSUKE OF KAPPA, EX BEHRENS COLLECTION

OGASAWARA ISSAI: AN IMPORTANT AND MAGNIFICENT INLAID WOOD NETSUKE OF KAPPA, EX BEHRENS COLLECTION By Ogasawara Issai, signed Issai 一齋 Japan, Wakayama, Kii Province, mid-late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published: 1. Joly, Henri L. (1912), The W.L. Behrens Collection, Part I, Netsuke, London, 1913, p. 190, no. 5336 (unillustrated). 2. Douglas J. K. Wright (1976), Netsuke Panorama, p. 20, no. 87. Powerfully carved in a compact and highly tactile form, the kappa seated with its knees drawn tightly to its chest and its long webbed hands placed quietly across its shins. The mythical water creature displays a remarkably serene, almost meditative expression, with heavy-lidded inlaid eyes beneath prominently arched brows, a broad flattened nose, and gently pursed lips. Its slender limbs are covered with neatly incised scales, contrasting with the smoothly polished face and the deeply carved hexagonal scutes of the domed carapace. The characteristic shallow dish (sara) at the crown is superbly inlaid with iridescent mother-of-pearl. The conspicuous use of mother-of-pearl as a major compositional element appears to be highly unusual within Issai’s recorded oeuvre; characteristically, however, it is employed with striking force, the broad luminous inset crowning and visually anchoring the compact composition. Himotoshi to the underside and signed ISSAI, the character sai rendered in a distinctive, highly cursive sosho form closely corresponding to the recorded signature of Ogasawara Issai in the MCI. HEIGHT 4 cm, LENGTH 4.5 cm Provenance: Ex-collection W. L. Behrens (1861-1913). The Dorothy Ann Stevens Collection of Fine Netsuke & Inro, formed between the 1940s and 1960s. Dorothy Ann Stevens was a collector of Japanese art active during the mid-twentieth century. The wife of the chemist, artist, and collector Henry Potter Stevens (1875–1965), she formed an extensive collection of netsuke, inro, and smoking accessories, with netsuke representing a particular focus of her collecting. Carefully documented and scholarly studied, the collection was maintained independently, with individual inventory numbers assigned to all her acquisitions. Many of these were purchased on the London art market during the 1940s and 1950s and included works with distinguished earlier provenances. Dorothy and Henry maintained closely related but distinct collections and occasionally exchanged objects between them, Henry's interests being particularly associated with inro and hers with netsuke. Preserved within the Stevens family for more than half a century, her collection constitutes a significant and well-documented record of the collecting and study of Japanese miniature arts in the mid-twentieth century. Walter Lionel Behrens (1861-1913) was a German-born banker and philanthropist who became one of the most prominent European collectors of Japanese art at the turn of the 20th century. Based in London, he assembled a vast and distinguished collection that included lacquer, ceramics, and especially netsuke, which he pursued with scholarly rigor and connoisseurship. His collection was widely admired by contemporaries and frequently consulted by leading scholars of Japanese art. After his death, much of it entered major public institutions, ensuring Behrens’ enduring influence in the field. Condition: Excellent condition, minimal wear and light traces of use. Ogasawara Issai was one of the most distinguished netsuke carvers of the 18th century, active in Wakayama in Kii Province and recorded in the Soken Kisho of 1781. Celebrated for his powerful sculptural approach, Issai transformed traditional netsuke subjects through bold volumes, strongly characterized faces, and an exceptional sensitivity to the natural qualities of his chosen materials. Although relatively few signed examples by him are known, his works are immediately recognizable for their commanding presence and highly individual treatment of form. Due to length restriction on Drouot this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.