By Ikko, signed IkkoJapan, Tokyo, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)Finely carved and stained as a Shishimai headdress, carved with numerous rats, all with inlaid eyes, clambering in and around the mask. Himotoshi underneath one rat on the underside and signed IKKO.LENGTH 3.5 cmCondition: Very good condition with some natural flaws and surface wear.Provenance: French private collection.Auction comparison:This artist is evidently related to Masamitsu, who became famous for his carvings of many rats. For a similar example see Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 25 September 2020, Vienna, lot 180 (sold for 1,390 EUR).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.