203 - † MASANAO: A RARE AND LARGE WOOD NETSUKE OF RYUTOKI

† MASANAO: A RARE AND LARGE WOOD NETSUKE OF RYUTOKI By a member of the Masanao family, signed Masanao 正直 Japan, Yamada, Ise province, circa 1860 Superbly carved as Ryutoki, after the design recorded in the Soken Kisho, the demon standing upright with his arms folded across his stomach and supporting a seperately carved and inset lantern upon his head. The tall lantern is pierced and carved with swirling cloud motifs, rising between two pointed horns. His fierce yet comical face is framed by a thick beard, the eyes double-inlaid in pale and dark horn and cast upward beneath heavy brows. He wears voluminous robes tied at the waist and a short cape over his shoulders. The trailing end of the broad sash forms the himotoshi at the back and bears the neatly incised signature MASANAO. HEIGHT 9.2 cm Provenance: Ex-collection Edward and Marilyn Flower. Christie’s South Kensington, Japanese Art & Design including the Edward and Marilyn Flower Collection of Netsuke and Inro, Part I, 4 November 2009, London, lot 3. British private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Good condition. Remnants from an old label to the back and the left foot with a restoration. Ryutoki, the ‘Dragon Lantern Demon,’ belongs to the group of subjugated demons known as jaki, familiar from Buddhist sculpture as the creatures trampled beneath the feet of the Shitenno (Four Heavenly Kings). He is commonly paired with Tentoki: Ryutoki supports a lantern on his head, while Tentoki bears one on his shoulder. Once embodiments of evil, the demons are transformed into servants of the Buddhist faith, their lanterns symbolizing illumination and their submission demonstrating the triumph of Buddhist law. The most celebrated sculptural pair is preserved at Kofukuji in Nara, where the Ryutoki was carved in 1215 by Koben, son of the renowned Kamakura sculptor Unkei. The present netsuke follows a distinctive Ryutoki design recorded in the Soken Kisho. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of Ryutoki by the same artist, signed Masanao, ex Behrens collection no. 413, illustrated in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part A, p. 457. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of Ryutoki by the same artist, signed Masanao, 7.8 cm high, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 8 November 2024, Vienna, lot 127 (sold for EUR 4,680). 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.