133 - SUKEYUKI: A MASTERFUL WOOD NETSUKE OF A SKULL AND SNAKE

SUKEYUKI: A MASTERFUL WOOD NETSUKE OF A SKULL AND SNAKE By Izumi Sukeyuki (1838-1920), signed Sukeyuki 亮之 Japan, Takayama, Hida Province, late 19 th century- early 20 th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) A striking and morbidly fascinating netsuke of a large snake, its body finely carved with naturalistic scales and varying in thickness as it coils around an anatomically precise skull. The skull shows signs of age, with a few missing teeth and the back of the cranium hollowed out. The snake slithers through this opening, penetrating the eye socket, and rests its head atop the skull. The eyes are double-inlaid and the tongue is extended. The surface of the skull is masterfully stippled, mimicking the heterogeneous texture of the cranium. Natural himotoshi. Signed to one side in a rectangular reserve SUKEYUKI. LENGTH 4.3 cm Provenance: The Dorothy Ann Stevens Collection of Fine Netsuke & Inro, formed between the 1940s and 1960s. Purchased from Norton, October 1954, and recorded in the collector’s register as no. 277. 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. Condition: Excellent condition with minor expected surface wear. It is said that Sukeyuki had gone to find his models of skulls in old burial mounds and had taken anatomy courses from a physician friend to gain a better understanding of muscle tendon insertions. Izumi Sukeyuki (1838–1920) lived in the town of Bamba in Omi Province, present-day Shiga Prefecture. He initially specialized in carving family Buddhist altars, but upon visiting Hida-Takayama, he became captivated by the work of sculptor Matsuda Sukenaga (1800–1871), renowned for his netsuke and okimono of reptiles and amphibians. Inspired by Sukenaga’s style, Sukeyuki adopted his master’s name and turned to sculpture, focusing particularly on snakes, toads, and skulls. His sculptures of snakes slithering through skulls became a signature motif, reflecting his interest in the Zen Buddhist concept of memento mori, symbolizing the impermanence of life. Such motifs, favored by the samurai, were reminders of the inevitability of death and the importance of living prepared for it. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a snake and skull by Sukeyuki, also signed Sukeyuki within a rectangular reserve, 4.2 cm wide, sold at Bonhams, The Julius & Arlette Katchen Collection of Fine Netsuke: Part II, 10 May 2017, London, lot 76 (sold for GBP 3,125 or approx. EUR 5,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).