144 - Ɏ MIYAGI CHOKUSAI: A RARE IVORY SHUNGA NETSUKE OF OKAME CLIPPING HER TOENAILS

Ɏ MIYAGI CHOKUSAI: A RARE IVORY SHUNGA NETSUKE OF OKAME CLIPPING HER TOENAILS By Miyagi Chokusai (born 1877), signed Chokusai 直齋 Japan, Tokyo, Meiji period (1868-1912) Finely carved from a particularly gem-like section of ivory, depicting Okame seated with one leg drawn up as she attends to the intimate task of clipping her toenails. Her plump body is modeled with characteristic naturalism, the soft flesh contrasting beautifully with her neatly combed hair, finely incised and darkly stained. The loosely draped garment is delicately engraved with scattered floral motifs, while the hands and toes are rendered with minute attention to detail. The himotoshi is ingeniously positioned to afford a discreet glimpse of her intimate anatomy, adding a playful shunga element to the composition. Signed CHOKUSAI to the underside. HEIGHT 3.5 cm Provenance: From a noted German private collection, Munich, Germany. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and tiny age cracks. Davey writes of Miyagi Chokusai, “a fine artist whose work is rarely encountered. It is invariably of ivory, stained and with intricate details.” Literature comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a girl cutting her toenails by the same artist, signed with kakihan of Chokusai, 2.8 cm high, at Sotheby’s, Japanese Works of Art, 21 March 1991, London, lot 55. Auction comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of Okame clipping her toenails, 4.2 cm high, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 29 October 2021, Vienna, lot 147 (sold for EUR 4,803 or approx. EUR 5,800 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Trade Certificate: In accordance with new EU regulations that went into effect in January 2022, we have applied for a certificate to sell this item within the EU. We expect the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology to issue the certificate in 2-3 weeks. The item can only be shipped / handed over once the certificate has been issued. This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.