73 - A RARE WOOD NETSUKE OF OKAME AND FUGU

A RARE WOOD NETSUKE OF OKAME AND FUGU Unsigned Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved standing, the mirthful Okame holding a large fugu suspended from a cord in her right hand while raising her left hand toward her ear in a playful gesture. Her characteristically full face is animated by plump cheeks, narrowed eyes with dark inlaid pupils, and a puckered smile. Her neatly combed hair is gathered into two loops at the back. She wears a voluminous robe falling open at the chest and richly decorated with finely incised geometric patchwork motifs, its deeply carved folds gathered around the waist and descending to a pair of carefully detailed woven sandals. The plump fugu is naturalistically rendered with double-inlaid eyes of pale and dark horn. Himotoshi to the back, one ringed in dark horn. HEIGHT 6.5 cm Provenance: British private collection, the back with two inscribed collection nos. ‘955’ & ‘956’. Condition: Excellent condition with minor expected wear. The pairing of Okame with a fugu is particularly witty and auspicious. The pufferfish was known in parts of Japan as fuku, a name readily associated with 福, ‘good fortune,’ while Otafuku herself embodied happiness, fertility, and abundance. A further playful erotic undertone may also have been intended: Okame carried strong associations with fertility and sensual humor, while the milt of the fugu was traditionally prized as an aphrodisiac.