A BRILLIANTLY HOLLOWED OUT STAG-ANTLER RYUSA-MANJU NETSUKE OF MONJU BOSATSU
Stag-antler ryusa-manju netsukeJapan, Asakusa, Tokyomid to late 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)A very elaborately crafted ryusa-netsuke, which is shaped like a manju but openworked so that light is transmitted through it. It is densely carved with peony flowers and foliage; the front side shows a feisty shishi with a flaming tail. A figure is sitting on the shishi, holding a lotus flower on a long stalk; it is the bodhisattva Manjushri, known as Monju Bosatsu in Japan, who is often depicted as sitting on a real lion that awakens spiritual truth with its roar. Interestingly, this netsuke may also represent a tennin as she is depicted gracefully in motion, flying and holding one of her defining attributes – the lotus flower. Most likely it is a mixture of both representations, as a tennin is a Buddhist angel and often the companion to Bodhisattvas. Stylised flowers with one central and one larger elongated himotoshi with two ‘teeth’. Stylised flowers with central himotoshi on the underside.The use of this complicated material and difficulty of carving is astonishing in this piece. The front may be mistaken for ivory because the material is almost flawless here, and the piece is arduously hollowed out. The anthropoid himotoshi, the cross-etched pattern in the flowers and the style of the many scrolling tendrils and vines is reminiscent of the very best Asakusa works, making it unusual for this piece to not be signed; though it likely comes from the circle of hands around Suzuki Tokoku, Kogetsu and Hakusai.DIAMETER 4.3 CMCondition: Good condition with very minor and expected losses to the edges of the vines and flowersProvenance: Austrian private collectionAuction comparison: Compare to a ryusa manju by Suzuki Tokoku, sold at Bonhams, The Julius and Arlette Katchen Collection of Fine Netsuke, London, 10 May 2017, lot 190.