A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A MULE AND GROOMUnsignedJapan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Published: Rutherston & Bandini (2011) The Sheila M. Baker Collection of Japanese Netsuke and Inro, no. 17.Exhibited: Frankfurt Museum für Kunstgewerbe in 1991. The netsuke is illustrated in an article on the exhibition by I. Schaarschmidt-Richter titled Von der Großen Kunst der Kleinen Dinge.A remarkably large, boldly carved, and humorous wood netsuke depicting a man crouching below his mule and lifting the animal’s hindleg to remove a stone from one hoof. The man’s expression is amusingly crafted, aware of his precarious situation, as the mule tenses up, its ears pricked and mouth opened with agitation, presumably about to start kicking about. The eyes of the mule are inlaid in bone with black wood pupils. The well-toned wood is pleasingly worn with a beautiful patina. Natural himotoshi.HEIGHT 5 cm, LENGTH 5.4 cmCondition: Very good condition with typical surface wear and traces of use. Beautiful patina.Provenance: Sotheby’s, Fine Japanese Works of Art, 23 June 1982, London, lot 520. Ex-collection Sheila M. Baker. Sold through Rutherston & Bandini. Ex-collection Teddy Hahn, Darmstadt. Theodor “Teddy” Hahn was a well-known and respected collector of netsuke and other Asian works of art. After spending time in museums to study the early cultures of the world, finding particular interest in their sculptures, he began collecting, remarking, “I somehow knew it would have a profound influence on my life. How right I was. And how happy I have been.”