A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF SHOKI THE DEMON QUELLER SEARCHING FOR AN ONI
Wood netsukeJapan, possibly Gifu19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Shoki is of Chinese descent and known as Zhong Kui there; after he banished the fever ghosts haunting the Emperor Xuanzong, he was appointed imperial demon hunter. He has a full beard, wears Chinese robes and is holding a Chinese ken sword. He is fiercely staring towards the oni, which has crawled into a rock cave – his horns and claws brilliantly camouflaged between the densely carved pine trees. When one examines the oni closely, one can make out his frightened expression which forebodes his imminent capture. A fine, compact and well-rounded work!DIAMETER 3.5 CM, HEIGHT 3 CMCondition: Excellent condition with a beautiful, warm mahogany patinaProvenance: Collection of Sam FeltonAuction comparison: An almost identical piece, signed Tomokazu, was sold at Van ham, Netsuke & Japanische Kunst, Cologne, 8 June 2017, lot 1517. The similarity between these two netsuke would makes an attribution of this work to Tomokazu plausible.