234 - HOJITSU: A SUPERB SMALL WOOD NETSUKE OF SEKIRI DARUMA, EX HINDSON COLLECTION

HOJITSU: A SUPERB SMALL WOOD NETSUKE OF SEKIRI DARUMA, EX HINDSON COLLECTION By Meikeisai Hojitsu, signed Hojitsu 法實 Japan, Edo (Tokyo), second half of the 19 th century Published: Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p. 149, no. 442. Superbly and intricately carved on a remarkably small scale as Daruma standing with one foot shod and the other bare, his gaunt chest exposed as his voluminous robes are caught in a powerful gust of wind, billowing dramatically around the body in deep, sweeping folds. His hands are concealed within the long sleeves, the robe secured at the shoulder by a silver-inlaid kesa ring (kan). The patriarch’s stern, weathered face is rendered with exceptional character, with deeply set eyes inlaid with dark horn pupils, furrowed brows, prominent cheekbones, and a downturned mouth, framed by large ears and a closely fitting hood. Asymmetrical himotoshi to the back, the side inset with a rectangular mother-of-pearl tablet signed HOJITSU. HEIGHT 4.5 cm Provenance: Ex-collection W. Guest. Hotel Drouot, Paris, 5-7 February 1934. Ex-collection M. T. Hindson (1883-1968), acquired from the above. Sotheby’s, The M. T. Hindson Collection of Important Netsuke, Part IV, 9 July 1968, London, lot 603. Ex-collection G. Ainsworth Wates, acquired from the above. Christie’s, Japanese Art and Design, 14 May 2008, London, lot 139. Swiss private collection, acquired from the above. Lempertz, Asiatische Kunst, 16 December 2020, Cologne, lot 818. German private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear. A section of the silver kesa ring has been replaced, and there appears to be an old repair to the signature tablet. Sekiri Daruma, or the “one-shoe Daruma,” refers to the celebrated legend that three years after Bodhidharma’s death he was encountered traveling westward carrying a single sandal. When his tomb was subsequently opened, only the other sandal was said to remain within, affirming the miraculous nature of the encounter. Auction comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of Jurojin by the same artist, signed Meikeisai, 4.3 cm high, at Zacke, Vienna, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 25 September 2020, lot 98 (sold for EUR 5,056 or approx. EUR 7,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). The comparison is particularly relevant for Hojitsu’s characteristically compact scale, finely modeled drapery, and use of an inlaid signature tablet. Notably, that netsuke also shares the distinguished provenance of the present piece, having passed through both the Guest and Hindson collections.