A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF A PEKINGESE DOG ON A FAN... Lot n° 27

Wood netsuke with some ivory and lacquer Japan, Kyoto 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) A little dog with dense fur, almost black and with black inlaid eyes and a red-brown muzzle. The dog is lying on a flat fan with a radial structure carved on the upper side and a small ivory handle. The underside of the base shows large himotoshi and a poem in raised urushi lacquer in considerable length loosely translating to “the puff of breeze comes abreast with the charming spring coming”. Signed MASATOMO in raised lacquer. WIDTH 4 CM Condition: Excellent condition. The ivory knob is a later addition, however fits perfectly. Provenance: Dutch private collection Auction comparison: For a similar netsuke, unsigned, see Bonhams, The Harriet Szechenyi Sale of Japanese Art, London, 8 November 2011, lot 164. For a similar netsuke by Masatomo see Christie’s, The Japanese Aesthetic, London, 15 May 2013, lot 335.