269 - A RARE UMIMATSU NETSUKE OF A DRAGON

A RARE UMIMATSU NETSUKE OF A DRAGON Unsigned Japan, 18 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Boldly carved from umimatsu in a compact recumbent posture, the powerful dragon resting with its clawed limbs drawn closely beneath its massive body and its thick tail curled against one haunch. The formidable head is thrust forward, its expression animated by bulging eyes beneath ridged brows, flaring nostrils, swept-back horns, and a wide-open mouth revealing sharp teeth and a curling tongue. The flowing whiskers, beard, mane, and flame-like tufts along the shoulders are deeply carved, creating a striking contrast with the smoothly polished body. With a silver loop himotoshi underneath. LENGTH 6.3 cm Provenance: The Dorothy Ann Stevens Collection of Fine Netsuke & Inro, formed between the 1940s and 1960s. Acquired from Norton, 10 November 1952. A copy of the corresponding entry in the collector’s register, recording the present lot as no. 151, accompanies the lot. Dorothy Ann Stevens was a collector of Japanese art active during the mid-twentieth century. The wife of the chemist, artist, and collector Henry Potter Stevens (1875–1965), she formed an extensive collection of netsuke, inro, and smoking accessories, with netsuke representing a particular focus of her collecting. Carefully documented and scholarly studied, the collection was maintained independently, with individual inventory numbers assigned to all her acquisitions. Many of these were purchased on the London art market during the 1940s and 1950s and included works with distinguished earlier provenances. Dorothy and Henry maintained closely related but distinct collections and occasionally exchanged objects between them, Henry's interests being particularly associated with inro and hers with netsuke. Preserved within the Stevens family for more than half a century, her collection constitutes a significant and well-documented record of the collecting and study of Japanese miniature arts in the mid-twentieth century. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, natural imperfections. Umimatsu (lit. ‘sea pine’), commonly known as black coral, is a soft deep-water coral. Many patterns of growth are unique to black coral, growing in whips, trees, fans, or coils. While it is commonly used in various forms of jewelry in Japanese art, it is also believed to have apotropaic power and is for this reason used in numerous medical treatments as well.