155 - TOYOMASA: A FINE TANBA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A HARE

TOYOMASA: A FINE TANBA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A HARE School of Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856), signed Toyomasa 豊昌 Japan, Tanba province, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved in a compact, rounded posture as a hare seated upon its haunches, the head raised alertly and one forepaw delicately lifted toward the chest. The long ears lie flat against the arched back, while the short tail curls neatly against the rump. The gentle expression is sensitively rendered with a softly modeled muzzle, slightly parted lips, and large eyes inlaid in pale translucent horn with dark pupils. The fur is worked throughout with dense, finely incised strokes, the recesses heightened with dark staining characteristic of Tanba carving. Natural himotoshi and signed TOYOMASA underneath. LENGTH 3.3 cm Provenance: Collection of Tony Beltrand, and thence by descent. Tony Beltrand (1847-1904) was a French draughtsman and wood engraver who worked closely with Auguste Lepère and became an important figure in the revival of wood engraving in late 19th-century France. Deeply influenced by Japanese printmaking, he experimented with color woodcuts and Japanese-style printing techniques and was himself a collector of Japanese prints and works of art. Condition: Good condition with minor wear and age cracks to the snout and body. The present netsuke belongs to the school of Naito Toyomasa but follows a characteristic Nagoya-school model, with one forepaw delicately raised - a type successfully treated by carvers such as Masatoshi and Ikkan. At the same time, the distinctive inlaid eyes and dark staining worked deeply into the crevices are unmistakably characteristic of Toyomasa and the Tanba school. The result is almost a synthesis of the familiar Masatoshi-type hare with the modeling and surface treatment of Toyomasa. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a hare with a raised paw, signed Masatoshi with kakihan, 3.5 cm long, at Sotheby’s, Japanese Works of Art, Screens and Paintings, 22-23 November 1990, London, lot 97 (sold for GBP 3,300 or approx. EUR 10,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).