160 - A RARE AND AMUSING NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF RABBITS ON A ROCK

A RARE AND AMUSING NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF RABBITS ON A ROCK Unsigned Japan, Nagoya, late 18 th to early 19 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Boldly carved as three rabbits clambering over a rugged rock formation, their bodies ingeniously interlocked in a compact and whimsical composition. Two peer outward with wide-eyed expressions, while a third stretches across the top. The reverse is particularly inventive, one rabbit appearing to pass through the composition, its splayed legs visible to one side and its body emerging on the other, with the cord channel running beneath the legs. The style of the carving is distinctly reminiscent of Tametaka, particularly in the treatment of the fur and rugged rockwork; he especially favored rabbits as a subject and also carved them in lively groups. Inscribed by an anonymous carver within a raised oval reserve hachijuichi saku [made at the age of 81]. LENGTH 4 cm Provenance: S.V.V. Dumas-Lyon, December 1997. French private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Excellent condition. Minor expected wear. Literature comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of a group of hares by Tametaka, 4.5 cm wide, at Bonhams, The Edward Wrangham Sale of Japanese Art Part II, 10 May 2012, London, lot 86 (sold for GBP 3,840 or approx. EUR 6,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).