117 - KAIGYOKUSAI: A LARGE AND SUPERB AGAR WOOD NETSUKE OF A NATAMAME (SWORD BEAN)

KAIGYOKUSAI: A LARGE AND SUPERB AGAR WOOD NETSUKE OF A NATAMAME (SWORD BEAN) By Kaigyokusai Masatsugu (1813-1892), signed Kaigyokusai 懐玉齋 Japan, Osaka, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published: International Netsuke Society Journal (INSJ) (1998), vol. 18, no. 2, p. 40, no. 108. Finely carved from agar wood as a naturalistic natamame (sword bean), its long, gently curving pod tapering elegantly toward the base and swelling subtly through the center. The upper end bends into a graceful loop formed by the curling stem. The surface is smoothly polished, allowing the rich, warm grain and variegated tones of the aromatic wood to remain fully visible. Natural himotoshi and signed KAIGYOKUSAI. HEIGHT 15.5 cm Provenance: Doyle, 31 March 1998, New York lot 108. A private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Excellent condition. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a bean pod and snail by the same artist, signed Kaigyokusai with seal, illustrated in Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (1993) Zodiac Beasts and Distant Cousins, no. 82. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related ivory sashi netsuke of a bean pod by the same artist, signed Kaigyokusai with two seals Kai and Gyoku, 15 cm long, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 13 May 2008, London, lot 355 (sold for GBP 4,560 or approx. EUR 8,800 converted and adjusted for inflation a the time of writing).