184 - SANGETSU: A RARE WOOD NETSUKE OF A ROTTEN PEAR WITH TWO WASPS

SANGETSU: A RARE WOOD NETSUKE OF A ROTTEN PEAR WITH TWO WASPS By Sangetsu, signed Sangetsu 山月 Japan, Nagoya, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Naturalistically carved as a decaying pear, the rounded fruit realistically modeled, its textured skin rendered in ukibori relief with raised dots. Two exquisitely carved wasps cling to the surface of the pear, their delicate wings, segmented bodies, and antennae rendered with remarkable precision, appearing to feed upon the overripe fruit. The slender stem rises naturally from the top, completing the organic composition. Large himotoshi to the back and signed SANGETSU within an oval reserve. LENGTH 5.5 cm Condition: Excellent condition. The motif is far more commonly encountered with a single wasp. By contrast, the present variation with two wasps appears to be unrecorded in literature. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a wasp in a pear, by Sangetsu, illustrated in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI B, p. 691. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a wasp in a pear by the same artist, signed Sangetsu, dated 19th century, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 13 May 2008, London, lot 415 (sold for GBP 4,320 or approx. EUR 8,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).