259 - EICHIKU: A RARE SILVER AND SHIBUICHI NETSUKE OF A CRANE

EICHIKU: A RARE SILVER AND SHIBUICHI NETSUKE OF A CRANE By Eichiku, signed Eichiku 詠竹 Japan, 19th century The crane is elegantly modeled with its long neck arched upward and wings neatly folded, the detailed plumage naturalistically rendered and the tail feathers, worked in shibuichi, sweeping elegantly backward. A looped ring himotoshi is fitted underneath, alongside a gourd-shaped reserve signed EICHIKU and with the mark ‘Jungin’ [pure silver]. LENGTH 4.3 cm Condition: Excellent condition with minor expected wear and light tarnishing. There is no metal artist recorded under this name, which literally translates to “Poem about Bamboo.” It is possible that the name functioned as a literary studio appellation, reflecting inspiration from Chinese paintings and poems celebrating bamboo, or it may have belonged to an artist with a strong literati (bunjin) sensibility. Auction comparison: Compare a related silver netsuke of a goose, by Seii, 4.8 cm long, at Bonhams, The Edward Wrangham Collection of Japanese Art Part II, 10 May 2011, London, lot 112 (sold for GBP 4,080 or approx. EUR 7,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).