TADATOSHI: A WOOD NETSUKE OF A SLEEPING SHOJOBy Tadatoshi, signed Tadatoshi 忠利 Japan, Nagoya, c. 1840, Edo period (1615-1868)An excellent cherry (sakura) wood netsuke depicting a shojo in a deep slumber after drinking a hefty amount of sake. Her head is resting on her upturned hand, nestled inside her robe, her expression conveying her fatigue from all the drinking very well. Her knees are bent towards her body, and her robe is carved with minute detail showing brocade and cloud patterns. One of her distinctive attributes is her full long hair, which was crimson and said to contain a much sought-after dye. Here it is delicately carved, flowing down her back and all the way to the underside. The side and underside with asymmetrical himotoshi, signed in ukibori within a rectangular reserve TADATOSHI.LENGTH 4.3 cmCondition: Excellent condition with minor wear.Provenance: Sotheby’s, 14 July 2006, London, lot 1101. French private collection, acquired from the above.Auction comparison:Compare a closely related netsuke of a sleeping shojo by Tadatoshi at Lempertz, 5 June 2015, Cologne, lot 1064 (sold for 8,556 EUR), and another at Quinn’s Auction Galleries, The Mang Collection of Japanese Netsuke, 7 December 2012, Falls Church, lot 204 (sold for 6,000 USD).