147 - NAITO TOYOMASA: AN IMPORTANT AND LARGE WOOD NETSUKE OF A SNAIL, DATED 1840

NAITO TOYOMASA: AN IMPORTANT AND LARGE WOOD NETSUKE OF A SNAIL, DATED 1840 By Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856), signed Tanba Sasayama Shunshoan Toyomasa gyonen rokujuhachi Tenpo juichi nen ne no yo chu saku Japan, Sasayama, Tanba Province, 1840, Edo period (1615-1868) Superbly and powerfully carved as a large snail emerging from its shell and turning back over its surface, the fleshy head extended with two long feelers and two shorter tentacles. Its supple body is worked with remarkably fine ukibori, the raised nodules carefully graduated in size and contrasting strikingly with the closely spaced, rhythmically incised striations of the massive spiral shell. The broad muscular foot curves beneath the body, its undulating edge conveying a convincing sense of slow, deliberate movement. Excellent himotoshi passing beneath the foot. The shell with an elaborate three-column inscription within a rectangular reserve: Tanba Sasayama SHUNSHOAN TOYOMASA gyonen rokujuhachi Tenpo juichi nen ne no yo chu saku [made by Shunshoan Toyomasa of Sasayama in Tanba, at the age of 68, in spring of Tenpo 11, year of the rat]. LENGTH 4.8 cm Provenance: Ex-collection Frank Lapisch, acquired in February 1988. Frank Lapisch (1934-2002) was a German entrepreneur and dedicated netsuke collector who first traveled to Japan in 1960 as a German judo champion. He later founded the Tokyo-based electronics firm Alltec in 1972 while deepening his engagement with Japanese art and craftsmanship. From the late 1970s onward, he pursued the study and acquisition of netsuke with increasing discernment, carefully documenting purchases made at auction houses such as Lempertz and Klefisch. He showed a particular preference for early ‘ur-netsuke,’ prized for their expressive carving and richly developed, glossy wear patina. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and light traces of use. A natural imperfection to the wood on the underside has been deliberately incorporated by the artist into the carving, as though forming a natural irregularity in the snail’s shell. The present netsuke is the largest, by published measurement, of only five documented examples of this model with recorded age inscriptions. Its exceptional scale is matched by the refinement of its surface treatment and the sculptural assurance of its conception. The powerful, rounded shell and sensitively modeled body exemplify Toyomasa’s ability to reconcile bold abstraction with acute naturalism, a quality equally apparent in his celebrated hares. Together with its excellent preservation and remarkable three-column inscription, these qualities distinguish the present work as one of his finest interpretations of this uncommon subject. Auction comparison: Compare a particularly closely related wood netsuke of a snail by the same artist, signed Shunshoan Toyomasa and recording his age as 68, associated with the Theodor ‘Teddy’ Hahn Collection, 4.1 cm wide, at Sotheby’s, Japanese Works of Art, Prints and Paintings, 20 June 2002, London, lot 589 (sold for GBP 39,950 or approx. EUR 89,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Note the shared use of the name Shunshoan, the identical recorded age, and the finely worked ukibori. This example is also discussed in International Netsuke Society Journal, 2002, vol. 22, no. 3, p. 37. Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a snail by the same artist, made at the age of 62, formerly in the Joseph Kurstin Collection and illustrated in Lazarnick, Netsuke and Inro Artists, p. 1193, 4.2 cm wide, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 8 November 2018, London, lot 43 (sold for GBP 93,750 or approx. EUR 146,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Compare another closely related wood netsuke of a snail by the same artist, made at the age of 62 and dated 1834, formerly in the Anne Hull Grundy Collection, 4.5 cm wide, at Bonhams, The Harriet Szechenyi Sale of Japanese Art, 8 November 2011, London, lot 227 (sold for GBP 34,850 or approx. EUR 61,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Due to length restriction on Drouot this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.