By Ryukosai Jugyoku II, signed Jugyoku with kakihanJapan, Tokyo, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)Of appealingly compact form, the two puppies engaged in a delightful scuffle, rolling about in a lively, dynamic manner, one puppy biting the other’s tail, their eyes inlaid in dark and translucent horn. Their different furs are finely executed with incision work, inking, and staining, creating an appealing contrast. The underside with two himotoshi and the signature JUGYOKU with a kakihan.LENGTH 4 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor surface wear.Provenance: European collection.Literature comparison: A related netsuke, also signed Jugyoku, dated to the mid-19th century, is illustrated in Eskenazi (1980) Japanese Netsuke from Private Collections and Michael Webb Netsuke, p. 19, no. 42.This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore this item can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.