176 - TADATOSHI: A FINE AND UNUSUAL NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A SLEEPING SHOJO

TADATOSHI: A FINE AND UNUSUAL NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A SLEEPING SHOJO By Tadatoshi, signed Tadatoshi 忠利 Japan, Nagoya, early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved as a Shojo reclining in deep drunken slumber, her head resting heavily on one hand while the other arm lies relaxed across the body. The compact figure is enveloped in voluminous robes worked with scrolling and brocade-like patterns, while the long hair falls in thick strands over the back. Particularly effective is the face: heavy-lidded eyes, softly parted lips, and relaxed fleshy features give the inebriated figure a remarkable immediacy and character. Himotoshi to the back and signed TADATOSHI. LENGTH 4 cm Provenance: Ex-collection Jury Kolodotschko. Lempertz, 6 December 2014, Cologne, lot 822. From a noted German private collection, Munich, Germany, acquired from the above. Condition: Excellent condition with only very minor wear. Sleeping Shojo are among the best-known subjects of the Nagoya school and were carved by Tadatoshi and several related artists. The standard model usually shows the figure curled on her side with the head neatly propped on the right hand. The present netsuke departs from that familiar formula: the broader, more open posture and unusually expressive face give the figure a far more individual and characterful presence. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Nagoya school cherrywood netsuke of a sleeping Shojo by the same artist, signed Tadatoshi, dated to the first half of the 19th century, 4.6 cm long, at Lempertz, Cologne, 5 June 2015, lot 1064 (sold for EUR 8,556). Note that this is the typical model and the present netsuke is a rare departure from this.