Beschreibung:

By Komin, signed Komin 光珉 with kakihan Japan, Edo (Tokyo), mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published: Bandini, Rosemary (2020) The Larry Caplan Collection of Japanese Netsuke, pp. 18-19, no. 5. Daruma stretches his arms above his head and yawns languorously, his eyes stretched down and brow wrinkled in the doleful manner of a man who is not yet ready to be disturbed. He wears gilt metal earrings and bracelets on each wrist, one himotoshi ringed in green-stained stag antler. The underside finely incised with the signature KOMIN and with a kakihan. HEIGHT 3.1 cm Condition: Very good condition with only minor wear and a tiny surface nick to one knee. Provenance: Collection of Larry Caplan, Toronto. Meinertzhagen writes that “Komin was among the most brilliant craftsmen of his day, his work showing complete mastery over finely detailed carving […]. His subjects were diverse and of original design, tending characteristically to the grotesque […]” (MCI, Part A, p. 380). Komin was a teacher of the famous Meiji netsuke-shi Suzuki Tokoku (1846-1913), who carved similar works depicting Daruma. Auction comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of Daruma by Suzuki Tokoku at Bonhams, Japanese Works of Art, 19 September 2008, New York, lot 5090 (sold for 7,800 USD). Literature comparison: A closely related netsuke by the same carver is illustrated with a line drawing in Meinertzhagen / Lazarnick (1986) MCI, Part A, p. 380. A closely related netsuke by Tokoku (erroneously transcribed as Toyoku) is in the collection of the British Museum, museum number HG.414, and another is illustrated in Arakawa, Hirokazu (1983) The Go Collection of Netsuke. Tokyo National Museum, p. 176, no. 339.