190 - A WOOD NETSUKE OF A MONKEY EATING A PERSIMMON, ATTRIBUTED TO THE WORKSHOP OF TOMOKAZU

A WOOD NETSUKE OF A MONKEY EATING A PERSIMMON, ATTRIBUTED TO THE WORKSHOP OF TOMOKAZU Workshop of Kano Tomokazu, unsigned Japan, Gifu, 19 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved as a monkey (saru) holding a leafy branch bearing two ripe persimmons, one grasped in its hand and the other nestled between its feet. The animal bites eagerly into the fruit, its upper lip and brows slightly raised to produce an amusingly intent expression. The eyes are double-inlaid in pale translucent and dark horn, while the slightly open mouth reveals further inlaid teeth. Natural himotoshi. HEIGHT 3.3 cm Provenance: The Dorothy Ann Stevens Collection of Fine Netsuke & Inro, formed between the 1940s and 1960s. A copy of the corresponding entry in the collector’s register, recording the present lot as no. 34a, accompanies the lot. Dorothy Ann Stevens was a collector of Japanese art active during the mid-twentieth century. The wife of the chemist, artist, and collector Henry Potter Stevens (1875–1965), she formed an extensive collection of netsuke, inro, and smoking accessories, with netsuke representing a particular focus of her collecting. Carefully documented and scholarly studied, the collection was maintained independently, with individual inventory numbers assigned to all her acquisitions. Many of these were purchased on the London art market during the 1940s and 1950s and included works with distinguished earlier provenances. Dorothy and Henry maintained closely related but distinct collections and occasionally exchanged objects between them, Henry's interests being particularly associated with inro and hers with netsuke. Preserved within the Stevens family for more than half a century, her collection constitutes a significant and well-documented record of the collecting and study of Japanese miniature arts in the mid-twentieth century. Condition: Excellent condition with only very minor wear. Auction comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of a monkey eating fruit by Tomokazu, signed Tomokazu, 3.3 cm high, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 8 May 2026, Vienna, lot 208 (sold for EUR 5,720).