Japan - Edo period Wood Wooden netsuke of a yama-inu with...

Rare and expressive Japanese wooden netsuke representing a yama-inu - wild dog or Japanese wolf - crouched above a human skull. Japan, Edo period, 19th century. The composition is especially striking: the animal’s wiry body forms a compact arch around the skull, while one forepaw rests directly on it. The head is tilted downward, the dentition finely indicated and the eyes inlaid with a dark material, identified in old documentation as horn. The coat is entirely animated by fine parallel incisions whose orientation varies with the anatomy. The dark shade kept in the hollows contrasts with the brown-orange highlights, polished by use, giving the piece a particularly lively surface. The underside shows a characteristic construction of a true functional netsuke: the spaces between the limbs form a natural himotoshi for the passing cord. The motif of the yama-inu combined with a human skull is well documented in 19th-century Japanese netsuke and appears notably in the repertoire of the famous sculptor Kokei of Tsu. The present piece is unsigned and therefore not personally attributed to Kokei; however, its iconographic and stylistic vocabulary allows us to place it probably in the Tsu school and within Kokei’s stylistic tradition. Provenance adds further interest: the piece comes from the former Richard R. Silverman collection (1932-2019), an important American netsuke collection. According to old documentation, it was acquired from Konishi in Los Angeles in 1977, before joining a European private collection. Very good overall condition considering its age, with natural wear and polishing compatible with long use. No modern restoration was noted during photographic and video examination. Dimensions: 5.2 × 5 × 2 cm. Weight: 20.4 g. Japan, Edo period, 19th century. Unsigned. video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wgknt72c2rfiad30if611/ABOARX0kNnzf7kL6aZRXDFA?rlkey=zp62wj2qe0l7kuur3mpc88sil&dl=0

Estimation:€1,600

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