A RARE AND FINE IVORY NETSUKE OF HADESU KILLING A TIGER BY CHIKUYOSAI TOMOCHIKA
Ivory netsukeJapan, Edofirst half of 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)This rare netsuke depicts the ancient Japanese hero Hadesu straddling a tiger lying on its back and killing it with his sword, after stunning it with a punch to the head. This scene is executed in a very dense manner, a finely cohesive work. Hadesu, who was a Japanese envoy in Korea, is wearing the armor of a samurai warrior, his facial expression showing fierce resolve, the tiger shows expressively accentuated features as well. One of the tiger’s legs shows the signature TOMOCHIKA.This netsuke has the perfect form for a functional netsuke, as it is rather flattened on the side which is towards the body and fully three-dimensional and sculptural on the other. Furthermore, the piece has a warm ‘honey patina’ in some areas, particularly on the side of the himotoshi. All signs of a well-loved and used netsuke.HEIGHT 3.9 CMCondition: Good, worn condition, possibly some minor losses to the armorProvenance: Austrian private collection