131 - GYOKUMIN: A FINE ASAKUSA WOOD NETSUKE OF A HUMAN SKULL

GYOKUMIN: A FINE ASAKUSA WOOD NETSUKE OF A HUMAN SKULL By Gyokumin, signed Gyokumin 玉珉 Japan, Tokyo, Asakusa district, second half of the 19 th century Superbly and naturalistically carved as a human skull with immense cavernous eye sockets, a narrow nasal aperture, prominent cheekbones, and individually rendered teeth. The smoothly polished cranium is finely incised with jagged sutures, while the deeply hollowed underside meticulously reproduces the palate and internal cavities. Himotoshi underneath. Signed GYOKUMIN to the side. LENGTH 4.5 cm Provenance: Collection of Mary Travers, New York, acquired in the early 1970s. Mary Travers (1936-2009) was the celebrated American folk singer and member of Peter, Paul and Mary, one of the defining groups of the American folk revival. Her estate reveals a discerning private interest in Japanese art, including a substantial group of netsuke as well as Japanese folding screens. Condition: Good condition with old wear and a few faint splits to the wood. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a human skull by the same artist, signed Gyokumin with seal Koku, 4.8 cm wide, at Bonhams, Netsuke from a European Private Collection, 8 May 1016, London, lot 153.