An ivory netsuke of a seated sage


By Hoshin, Kyoto, Edo period (1615-1868), late 18th centurySeated, smiling with one hand resting on his raised left knee as a snake slithers around to his right, his robe engraved with scrolling flowers and the snake's eyes inlaid; signed on the underside in an oval reserve Hoshin. 4.8cm (1 7/8in) wide.
|PublishedFrederick Meinertzhagen, MCI: The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum,, New York, ALan R. Liss Inc., 1986, p.197.Meinertzhagen opined that the work is "Probably a copy of the master's work, made in the first half of the 19th century." However, the work shows features associated with netsuke produced in Kyoto during the late 18th century, including the attitude of the sage and the engraved robe designs similar to those adopted by Yoshinaga and Yoshitomo, as well as a light natural patina giving an impression of having been made in an earlier century.