224 - Ɏ GYOKUZAN: A RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF A WILLOW TREE GHOST (YANAGI-BABA)

Ɏ GYOKUZAN: A RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF A WILLOW TREE GHOST (YANAGI-BABA) By Gyokuzan, signed Gyokuzan 玉山 Japan, Tokyo, second half of the 19 th century Finely carved and stained as Yanagi-baba, the spirit of an ancient willow tree, hunched forward with her long, claw-like hands extended in an eerie gesture. Her haunting yet mischievous expression is framed by long, disheveled hair falling in deeply incised strands over the shoulders and down the back. The voluminous robes are smoothly worked with carefully delineated folds, the lower body characteristically tapering into a curling wisp. Natural himotoshi and signed GYOKUZAN within an oval reserve underneath. HEIGHT 4.2 cm Provenance: Ex-collection Otto Taussig, Malmö, Sweden. Sotheby’s, A Collection of Fine Netsuke, 9 May 1979, London, lot 161. From a noted French private collection, acquired from the above. Consul Otto Taussig (1889-1969) was a Malmö-based company director and discerning collector, next to his collection interest in antiques and decorative arts, best remembered for assembling a major collection devoted to Franz Schubert. The collection encompassed autograph scores, early manuscripts, and other important Schubertiana, and was donated to Lund University Library in 1969, where it remains preserved as the Otto Taussig Collection. Condition: Excellent condition with minor expected wear. Yanagi-baba, the “Willow Hag,” is a supernatural tree spirit recorded in the Edo-period illustrated ghost anthology Ehon Hyaku Monogatari (Picture Book of a Hundred Stories, 1841). According to the tale, an ancient willow tree in Hitachi Province gained supernatural powers and could assume human form, appearing either as a beautiful woman or as an old hag to deceive travelers. The legend reflects the enduring Japanese belief that exceptionally old trees could become inhabited by powerful spirits. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a ghost of the willow tree, unsigned, illustrated in Neil K. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection (1974), p. 367, no. 1102. Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number IT/CE/2024/MI/00318). 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.