64 - A SUPERB TALL NEGORO LACQUER NETSUKE OF DARUMA, EX COLLECTION ALBERT BROCKHAUS

A SUPERB TALL NEGORO LACQUER NETSUKE OF DARUMA, EX COLLECTION ALBERT BROCKHAUS Unsigned Japan, 18 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Powerfully carved, depicting Daruma standing with his body slightly hunched beneath voluminous robes. His bald head and expressive face are left in polished natural wood, the stern countenance marked by deeply set eyes beneath heavy brows, a broad nose, prominent cheeks, and a slightly open mouth revealing teeth. The elongated robe falls in bold, deeply carved folds and is covered in lustrous red Negoro lacquer, extensively worn through to the black underlayer and, in places, the wood beneath, creating a richly varied surface and powerful contrast with the exposed face. Asymmetrical himotoshi to the back, the larger hole generously excavated to accommodate the knot. HEIGHT 10.7 cm Provenance: Inaba Nanaho, Kyoto, 2 December 1913. Ex-collection Albert Brockhaus, acquired from the above. Klefisch, 12 September 1992, Cologne, lot 297. Ex-collection Frank Lapisch, acquired from the above. Albert Brockhaus (1855-1921) was a prominent Leipzig publisher, scholar, and collector who directed the celebrated F. A. Brockhaus publishing house together with his brother. He assembled one of the most important early European collections of netsuke and authored ‘Netsuke: Versuch einer Geschichte der japanischen Schnitzkunst,’ first published in 1905 and long regarded as a foundational work in the field. Formed with characteristic encyclopedic ambition, his collection encompassed the full range of netsuke subjects, materials, and regional schools. Frank Lapisch (1934-2002) was a German entrepreneur and dedicated netsuke collector who first traveled to Japan in 1960 as a German judo champion. He later founded the Tokyo-based electronics firm Alltec in 1972 while deepening his engagement with Japanese art and craftsmanship. From the late 1970s onward, he pursued the study and acquisition of netsuke with increasing discernment, carefully documenting purchases made at auction houses such as Lempertz and Klefisch. He showed a particular preference for early ‘ur-netsuke,’ prized for their expressive carving and richly developed, glossy wear patina. Condition: A small repair to the hem of the robe in the back. Otherwise excellent condition with typical old wear. The present netsuke belongs to a distinctive group of early, unusually tall figural netsuke in which the dramatic sculptural form is enhanced by the selective application of red-over-black lacquer, most notably to the voluminous garments. The richly worn lacquer contrasts strikingly with the exposed natural wood of the face and other details, heightening the expressive character of the carving (see auction comparison for another work belonging to this group, likely made by the same studio as the present piece). Negoro ware is characterized by the application of red lacquer over an underlying layer of black, the upper surface gradually wearing through with prolonged handling and use to reveal the darker layer beneath. The name derives from Negoro-ji in present-day Wakayama Prefecture, a major Buddhist monastic complex historically associated with the production and use of such lacquerware. The irregular patterns of wear that develop over time came to be especially admired for the richness and individuality they impart to the surface. Auction comparison: Compare a related early lacquered wood netsuke of a Tokaido road porter, likely from the same studio, 5.7 cm high, at Bonhams, Netsuke from the Collection of Joseph and Elena Kurstin, 16 December 2022, New York, lot 1 (sold for USD 21,675 or approx. EUR 21,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).