217 - Ɏ A RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF BASHIKO SENNIN SEATED ON A DRAGON

Ɏ A RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF BASHIKO SENNIN SEATED ON A DRAGON Unsigned Japan, Edo (Tokyo), early to mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved as Bashiko Sennin seated cross-legged atop a powerful dragon emerging from swirling clouds, his hands held before the chest in chiken-in, the ‘wisdom-fist mudra,’ with the raised index finger enclosed by the opposite fist. The gesture, associated with Esoteric Buddhism, symbolizes the union of the spiritual and material realms and the attainment of enlightened wisdom. The immortal is dressed in voluminous robes, his stern, concentrated face framed by long straight hair and a flowing beard, the details finely incised and sumi-stained. Below, the dragon twists dynamically through the compact composition, its fierce horned head thrust upwards towards Bashiko and detailed with sinuous whiskers, neatly layered scales, and powerful clawed feet. The group rises in a distinctly triangular silhouette, strongly evocative of a mountain peak and lending the composition a striking sense of monumentality and balance. Three himotoshi to the back and underside. The ivory bearing a fine, warm honey-yellow patina. HEIGHT 4.8 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and typical age cracks. Two plugged nerve channels underneath. The subject is rare in netsuke art and is frequently confused with Chinnan Sennin or the rakan Handaka Sonja, both conventionally depicted conjuring a dragon from an alms bowl. Bashiko Sennin, by contrast, was a legendary healer of animals who cured an ailing dragon with acupuncture and thereafter became closely associated with the creatures. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of Bashiko Sennin by Gyokurintei, Edo (Tokyo), circa 1820, similarly depicting the immortal seated in meditation with a large dragon coiling around him amid clouds, 3.8 cm high, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 29 October 2021, Vienna, lot 153 (sold for EUR 2,781 or approx. EUR 3,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Trade Certificate: In accordance with new EU regulations that went into effect in January 2022, we have applied for a certificate to sell this item within the EU. We expect the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology to issue the certificate in 2-3 weeks. The item can only be shipped / handed over once the certificate has been issued. This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.