A FINE STAG-ANTLER AND EBONY MANJU NETSUKE OF A BASKET OF CHARCOAL BY RYUKEI
Stained stag-antler netsuke with ebony wood and ivory inlayJapan19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Made of two separate parts. The basket is made of stained and lacquered (on the inside) stag-antler, realistically carved to imitate a woven basket. The singular himotoshi on the underside is ringed with green-stained ivory and is utilized to attach the separate bundle of charcoal, used for the tea ceremony, which has a ‘natural loop’ for the attachment of the cord. The charcoal is made from ebony wood and is well-carved on all sides. Faded signature RYUKEI on the underside.LENGTH 3 CM, WIDTH 2.5 CMCondition: One edge of the basket with a nick (restored) – otherwise in good conditionProvenance: German private collectionAuction comparison: Another model of a charcoal basket was sold at Bonhams, The Bluett H. Kirchhoff collection of Netsuke and Sagemono, New York, 16 September 2009, lot 2052.