185 - BAZAN: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A DECAYED PEAR (NASHI)

BAZAN: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A DECAYED PEAR (NASHI) By Bazan (1833-1897), signed Bazan 馬山 Japan, Nagoya, second half of the 19 th century Exquisitely carved in the form of a decaying pear, the irregularly rounded fruit with a short, separately carved stem and a large hollowed aperture exposing the deeply worked, partially collapsed interior. The outer skin is masterfully textured with numerous minute raised knobs executed in ukibori, convincingly reproducing the spotted, uneven surface of an overripe nashi, while the hollowed interior is partly blackened to intensify the impression of decomposition and reveals the seeded core, with one seed deliberately absent to heighten the effect of decay. The contrast between the smoothly rounded exterior and the darkened, rotting core is rendered with striking naturalism. Asymmetrical himotoshi to the reverse and signed in ukibori BAZAN. HEIGHT 3.9 cm Provenance: Rémy Le Fur & Associés, 16 April 2015, Paris, lot 105. French private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Excellent condition with minor expected wear. Meinertzhagen (Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part A, p. 14) notes that the blackening of the decayed areas was achieved by burning. He further records a suggestion by the Dutch collector W. H. Kohler that Bazan may even have perfumed some of his pear netsuke with the scent of nashi to heighten their illusion of realism. Bazan is known to have carved this model in several variants, both with and without maggots. Literature comparison: Compare two closely related wood netsuke of a rotten pear by the same artist, signed Bazan, illustrated in illustrated in Davey, Neil K. (1982) Netsuke: A comprehensive study based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, pp. 206-207, nos. 628-629. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a rotten pear by the same artist, signed Bazan, 4.2 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 14 May 2015, London, lot 38 (sold for GBP 5,250 or approx. EUR 9,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).