169 - † MASANAGA: A FINE NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A HARE WITH AMBER EYES

† MASANAGA: A FINE NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A HARE WITH AMBER EYES By Masanaga, signed Masanaga 正長 with kakihan Japan, Nagoya, first half of the 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved from richly stained cherry wood as a reclining hare of compact, rounded form, its powerful hindquarters tucked beneath the body and one forepaw raised gently toward the chest. The head is slightly lifted and turned to one side, the long ears laid back along the body, while the large eyes are inlaid in translucent amber. The fur is rendered throughout with exceptionally fine, closely incised hairwork, subtly following the contours of the body. The underside is equally well finished, with natural himotoshi through the limbs, and signed MASANAGA with kakihan. LENGTH 4.1 cm Provenance: Ex-collection Alan Liss. Sotheby’s, Fine Netsuke including Property from the Collection of Alan R. Liss, 2 September 1993, Chicago, lot 59. Alan R. Liss was a prominent New York publisher and discerning collector of netsuke. His publishing house, Alan R. Liss, Inc., published George Lazarnick’s monumental Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum in 1986. Liss also assembled an important personal collection of netsuke, a substantial part of which was offered at Sotheby’s, Chicago, in 1993. Condition: Excellent condition with minor expected wear. Little is recorded about Masanaga, a rare carver working in the Nagoya tradition. His finest works display considerable individuality and keen observation, departing from the more standardized models of some of his contemporaries. The present hare is particularly successful in its broad, confident modeling, sensitively rendered face, and exceptionally fine treatment of the fur. This compact model of a hare with inlaid eyes became one of the most recognizable subjects of Nagoya-school netsuke, treated with considerable individuality by several of its leading carvers and later achieving international recognition through Edmund de Waal’s The Hare with Amber Eyes. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Nagoya school wood netsuke of the same subject by Masatami, signed Masatami, 3 cm long, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 8 May 2026, Vienna, lot 211 (sold for EUR 5,850). 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.