A LACQUERED WOOD MANJU NETSUKE WITH A SNAIL BY TOSHI
Lacquered wood manju netsukeJapan1st half of 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)A precisely executed, dark-stained wooden two-part manju with a perfect polish. The top shows a snail (namekuji), lacquered in gold and silver takamaki-e, on its way, stretching its feelers outwards. The underside shows a signature TOSHI written in gold with kao below. The artist was a student of Iizuka Toyo and was well-known for this style of netsuke, including many manju. The kao is also typical of the artist.DIAMETER 3.6 CMCondition: Very good conditionProvenance: American private collection, old museum number written in white on the interior