151 - TOYOKAZU: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A TANUKI WRAPPED IN LOTUS LEAVES

TOYOKAZU: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A TANUKI WRAPPED IN LOTUS LEAVES By Shugasai Toyokazu, signed Toyokazu 豊一 Japan, Sasayama, Tanba province, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published: Douglas J. K. Wright (1976), Netsuke Panorama, p. 19, no. 91. Superbly carved and beautifully accentuated with dark staining, depicting a tanuki tightly concealed within a large lotus leaf, forming a wonderfully balanced composition. A second leaf amusingly serves as a hat, while the tanuki’s face emerges dramatically from the folds, animated by large staring eyes inlaid in pale translucent horn and a wonderfully expressive, almost mischievous expression. The surrounding leaves are masterfully rendered with flowing incisions suggesting their natural veins and texture, while the deeply carved recesses create a striking contrast between the smooth polished surfaces and richly textured foliage. Himotoshi to the back and signed in a polished oval reserve TOYOKAZU. HEIGHT 5 cm Provenance: The Dorothy Ann Stevens Collection of Fine Netsuke & Inro, formed between the 1940s and 1960s. A copy of the corresponding entry in the collector’s register, recording the present lot as no. 21, accompanies the lot. 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. One inlaid eye possibly replaced. Shugasai Toyokazu is widely regarded as the most accomplished pupil of Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856). His finest works combine the powerful modeling and technical refinement of the Tanba school with an exceptional sense of humour and animation. The present netsuke demonstrates Toyokazu at his very finest: the extraordinary carving of the overlapping lotus leaves, the flowing incised texture, and the brilliantly expressive inlaid eyes transform a familiar humorous subject into a work of remarkable vitality. Despite the complex interwoven composition, every element remains clearly articulated, making this an exceptional masterpiece of Tanba-school carving. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a tanuki wrapped in a lotus leaf by the same artist, signed Toyokazu, illustrated in Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p. 243, no. 756. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a tanuki wrapped in a lotus leaf by the same artist, signed Toyokazu, 5.1 cm high, at Bonhams, The Julius and Arlette Katchen Collection of Fine Netsuke Part III, 6 November 2018, London, lot 112 (sold for GBP 7,250 or approx. EUR 11,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).