146 - HOJITSU: A SUPERB AND LARGE WOOD NETSUKE OF A WOMAN TYING HER HAIR

HOJITSU: A SUPERB AND LARGE WOOD NETSUKE OF A WOMAN TYING HER HAIR By Meikeisai Hojitsu, signed Hojitsu 法實 Japan, Edo (Tokyo), mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Superbly carved as a full-figured woman seated in a relaxed pose, one leg folded beneath her and the other drawn up against the body, both arms raised as she gathers and ties her long hair above her head. Her plump, softly modeled face has distinctly Okame-like features, with full cheeks, narrow smiling eyes, a small nose, and delicately pursed lips, conveying a wonderfully serene and intimate expression. The smooth, rounded contours of the exposed body contrast with the exceptionally fine, parallel incision work of the long hair, which falls heavily over one shoulder before being gathered between her hands. She wears only a simple loincloth tied at the back. Large asymmetrical himotoshi to the reverse and signed HOJITSU underneath. The wood beautifully stained in the artist’s characteristic manner. HEIGHT 6 cm Provenance: Christie’s, Fine Japanese Works of Art, 6 November 1973, London, lot 75. From an important European private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Good condition with few light scratches and fine age cracks. The present netsuke closely follows a distinctive figural model associated with Masanao of Kyoto. Hojitsu was a versatile Edo carver, yet this intimate depiction of a woman tying her hair is unusual within his known oeuvre, and no further example of the design signed by him appears to have been published. The subject belongs to a broader repertory of humorous and sensual female figures in netsuke, often rendered with distinctly Okame-like features. The closely related ivory example cited below, although catalogued by Bonhams as unsigned, is more convincingly attributable to Masanao of Kyoto and achieved an exceptional price accordingly. Hojitsu’s interpretation shares the same seated pose, raised arms, and compact sculptural conception, suggesting either inspiration from the earlier Masanao model or a common source of imagery. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of the same subject, attributable to Masanao of Kyoto, 5.7 cm high, at Bonhams, The Julius and Arlette Katchen Collection of Fine Netsuke, 8 November 2016, London, lot 21 (sold for GBP 43,750 or approx. EUR 72,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). The carving shares the same seated pose, raised arms, and Okame-like facial type as the present work.