281 - † ZI ZHU: THE HERMIT IN THE MARKET: SALMON

† ZI ZHU: THE HERMIT IN THE MARKET: SALMON By Zi Zhu, signed Zi Zhu 子竹 China, 2026 Expertly carved from a natural boar tusk as a salmon head with a slightly opened mouth revealing rows of teeth, pronounced gill covers, and fins worked in finely incised detail. The eyes are double-inlaid in mother-of-pearl and dark horn. The boar tusk is superbly polished and selectively stained, its natural coloration and tonal variation skillfully incorporated into the body of the fish. The reverse is carved with overlapping bamboo leaves, while the truncated end is rendered as exposed flesh in iridescent mother-of-pearl and urushi lacquer. Asymmetrical himotoshi to the back and signed ZI ZHU on a silver tablet. LENGTH 4.9 cm Condition: Excellent condition. With a pouch and an inscribed and sealed wood tomobako (storage box). The present netsuke is conceived around the Chinese philosophical ideal expressed in the phrase “the great hermit hides in the marketplace” (da yin yin yu shi), in which spiritual detachment is maintained within the bustle of worldly life. The ordinary salmon thus becomes an apt embodiment of the everyday world, while the bamboo on the reverse evokes the cultivated restraint traditionally associated with the scholar-gentleman. The treatment of the salmon further reflects the aesthetics of Chinese ink painting. Rather than describing every anatomical detail, Zi Zhu employs the principle of ji bai dang hei - using reserved or empty space as an active element of form. A few decisive, upward-sweeping lines define the energy of the freshly caught fish, allowing the natural surface and coloration of the boar tusk to complete the image. This economy of means is contrasted with the sensuous treatment of the cut flesh, where warm urushi lacquer and shimmering mother-of-pearl evoke the color and richness of the salmon itself. Zi Zhu is a contemporary Chinese netsuke artist from Zhaoqing, Guangdong. Trained in sculpture at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, he began carving netsuke in 2018 and established his independent studio the following year. His work draws particularly on the fantastical creatures and ancient cosmology of the Shanhaijing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), reinterpreted through a distinctly contemporary sculptural language. Since 2022, the artist has also studied lacquer techniques under the noted Chinese lacquer artist Su Xing, receiving the Grand Prize at the 8th Lacquer Painting Exhibition in Guangdong that same year. His works have been exhibited by Gallery Hanakagesho in Tokyo, including in its 2024 exhibition of contemporary yokai netsuke. 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.