222 - Ɏ ZERAKU: A SUPERB AND AMUSING IVORY NETSUKE OF THREE BLIND MEN FIGHTING

Ɏ ZERAKU: A SUPERB AND AMUSING IVORY NETSUKE OF THREE BLIND MEN FIGHTING By Zeraku, signed Zeraku 是楽 Japan, first half of the 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Intricately carved and finely stained as a remarkably animated group of three blind men embroiled in a chaotic brawl. The powerfully built central figure, stripped to a fundoshi and resembling a sumo wrestler, stands astride his fallen companion, one hand raised to brandish his walking stick. His face is contorted into an amusing grimace, the teeth bared and eyes comically askew, while his chest, belly, and muscular limbs are covered with minute incisions indicating body hair. A second, bald man clings desperately to his back, attempting to pull him away and free the blind man pinned beneath the wrestler’s foot, the unfortunate figure twisting on the ground and tugging frantically at his opponent’s garment. The reverse is worked with equal care, revealing a second walking stick and garments embellished with finely incised patterns and arranged in deeply undercut folds. Natural himotoshi and signed ZERAKU to the underside. HEIGHT 5.5 cm Provenance: Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 11 November 2010, London, lot 98. From a French private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear. Literature comparison: Zeraku is virtually unrecorded; however, the present composition finds close parallels in works by Zemin. Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of three blind men fighting, signed Zemin, illustrated in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part B, p. 1006. For a different treatment of the same subject, compare an ivory manju netsuke of blind men fighting, by Zemin, dated mid-19th century, 4.5 x 2.6 cm, formerly in the Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection and now in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession no. M.87.263.31. Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number FR2607505249-K). 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.