150 - † TOYOMASA: A POWERFUL WOOD NETSUKE OF GAMA SENNIN WITH TOAD

† TOYOMASA: A POWERFUL WOOD NETSUKE OF GAMA SENNIN WITH TOAD By Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856), signed Toyomasa 豊昌 saku 作 Japan, Tanba Province, circa 1830, Edo period (1615-1868) Powerfully carved as the Daoist immortal Gama Sennin standing barefoot and supporting an enormous toad across his shoulders. The sennin is enveloped in a voluminous cloak of overlapping leaves, deeply carved in relief and falling in irregular, pointed edges around his body. His strikingly expressive face, with deeply recessed eyes, pronounced cheekbones, and a wide-open mouth revealing teeth, is animated with Toyomasa’s characteristic humor and forceful modeling. The massive toad sprawls heavily across the immortal’s shoulders, its warty skin finely textured and its head turned slightly outward, lending the composition a particularly lively, almost confrontational character. The sennin’s eyes are inlaid, as usual, in pale translucent horn with dark pupils, while those of the toad are inlaid in dark horn. The reverse is equally carefully worked, with long strands of the sennin’s hair cascading down the back in finely incised parallel lines. Large himotoshi to the back and signed within a raised, polished reserve TOYOMASA saku [made by Toyomasa]. HEIGHT 6.3 cm Condition: Restorations to the toes and one inlaid eye of the toad is replaced. Otherwise excellent condition and presenting beautifully. Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856) was one of the greatest masters of the Tanba school and among the most influential netsuke carvers of the late Edo period. Working in Sasayama, he developed a highly distinctive sculptural style characterized by powerful volumes, deeply worked surfaces, boldly expressive features, and an exceptional ability to imbue both human and animal subjects with vitality and character. His son Toyoyasu, better known as Toyoyo (1811-1883), continued the family tradition, while Toyomasa’s wider influence can be seen in the work of several important Tanba carvers. Gama Sennin was among Toyomasa’s most characteristic and frequently explored subjects, allowing him to combine grotesque humor, dramatic expression, and the richly varied textures for which his work is celebrated. The addition of saku (‘made by’) to Toyomasa’s signature is comparatively uncommon and is noteworthy on the present netsuke. It also occurs in some of his more elaborate inscriptions, including celebrated dated netsuke of snails. Compare, for example, the important snail netsuke in the present sale, lot no. 147. Toyomasa’s Gama Sennin figures vary considerably in conception, from compact seated compositions to imposing standing figures such as the present work. Here, the unusually tall and upright format, the almost overwhelming scale of the toad, the dramatic expression of the sennin, and the deeply carved mass of his leaf cloak combine to create a particularly powerful and ambitious interpretation of one of the master’s signature subjects. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a standing Gama Sennin with a toad by the same artist, signed Toyomasa, 7.1 cm high, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, from the Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection, accession number M.87.263.97. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a seated Gama Sennin by the same artist, signed Toyomasa, dated Edo period, 5.7 cm high, at Christie's, Online Auction 10985, A Private Collection of Japanese Art, 20 October 2015, New York, lot 55 (sold for USD 18,750 or approx. EUR 23,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.