Beschreibung:

Katalognummer: NE0320-202 NAITO KOSEKI: AN IMPORTANT AND LARGE WOOD GYODO MASK NETSUKE OF KANNON By Naito Koseki (1874-1948), unsigned Japan, early 20th century, Taisho period (1912-1926) A superbly carved and large wood Gyodo mask netsuke depicting Kannon. Note the fine, downcast eyes and meditative expression, signifying wisdom, compassion and enlightenment. She has heavy pendulous ears, a finely carved nose, on her forehead is a third eye and her lips are gently pressed forwards. Her hair is beautifully incised, and she wears a crown. The staining of the boxwood is masterful. Slightly asymmetrical himotoshi through the central bridge in the reverse. HEIGHT 7.3 cm Condition: Superb condition. Provenance: British collection. Naito Koseki (1874-1948) was a celebrated sculptor of Buddhist art. He was not a professional carver of netsuke, however received commissions from notable collectors. See for example the important netsuke of Endo Morita in Rosemary Bandini’s latest catalog ‘The Larry Caplan Collection of Japanese Netsuke’ or the very similar Gyodo Mask sold at Matthew Barton Ltd (see auction comparison). It is very likely that the collector who commissioned this piece specifically asked it to not be signed, a courtesy often extended by netsukeshi. Auction comparison: Compare with a very similar mask netsuke of Kannon sold at Matthew Barton Ltd., European & Asian Works of Art, June 6 2018, London, lot 91 (Hammer price 7.000 GBP), now in the stock of Sydney Moss Ltd. Note that the mask is slightly smaller and does not have the crown. This is the only other known mask netsuke along with a mask netsuke of a Nio in the British Museum (Accession number 1945,1017.530) carved by Naito Koseki. Schätzpreis 估價: € 6.000 Startpreis 起拍價: € 3.000 -