A LACQUERED WOOD MANJU NETSUKE WITH TORTOISE IN A STREAM SIGNED RYUSAI
Lacquered wood manju netsukeJapan, Edo period (1615-1868), early 19th centuryThe two-part manju is of circular form with a tortoise lacquered in matt gold takamaki-e next to a stream and rock. The brown wood has two different tones, with the lighter one almost appearing like gold. Himotoshi on the reverse with the peg to tie the cord on the inside. The signature in gold lacquered hiramaki-e RYUSAI and red lacquer kao.The signature Ryusai most likely corresponds to the lacquer artist Koryusai due to similarity in signature and lacquer work. He was particularly known for his work using fine gold lacquer powder to create a ‘matt’ effect, as is displayed in this lacquer netsuke.Dimensions: DIAMETER 3.5 CMCondition: Very good conditionProvenance: British private collection