CHIKUUNSAI: A WOOD NETSUKE OF A BABY BOY EATING MOCHIBy Chikuunsai, signed Chikuunsai 竹雲齋Japan, Yamada, Ise Province, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The crawling, chubby boy of simple yet charming design and with a smooth surface, clad in a bib incised with a diapered hexagonal pattern and tied with a ribbon at the back, his plump naked behind showing and the genitals visible underneath. The boy is holding in front of him with both hands a rice cake (mochi) from which he has just taken a large bite. Natural himotoshi between the body and the arms, feet, and ribbon. Signed diagonally to the bib on the underside CHIKUUNSAI.LENGTH 4.5 cmCondition: Very good condition, minor wear, few light surface scratches.The artist appears to be unrecorded, however clearly worked in the style of the Masanao family, his craftsmanship closely resembling Masakatsu of Yamada.Literature comparison:Compare a related wood netsuke of a baby boy by Masanao, circa 1860, illustrated in Bandini, Rosemary (2020) The Larry Caplan Collection of Japanese Netsuke, no. 14. Also compare a closely related boxwood netsuke by Masakatsu, mid-19th century, illustrated in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part A, p. 419.