antique netsuke

Ivory netsuke of a Kitsune, Dancing fox

Ivory netsuke of a Kitsune, Dancing fox19th centuryHeight: 7.4 cmProvenance:Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1966In the traditional Japanese mythology the kistune are a very common subject: long-lived creatures with great intelligence, they are able to develop supernatural powers such as the ability to change appearance and deceiving people by assume human form.At fifty years old, the kitsune gains the ability to turn into a woman or to possess the body of human beings (kitsunetsuki)At the age of a thousand years, it becomes white or gold, increases his powers and ascends...

Ivory netsuke with Ashinaga and Tenaga

Ashinaga and TenagaEarly 19th centuryIvory netuske,Ashinaga ("long legs") and Tenaga ("long arms") are two Chinese mythical figures who use their abnormally long limbs to fish: with his long legs, Ashinaga can easily emerge from the waters of the rivers and watching everything from above, while Tenaga sinks his long arms into the water, searching fishes or shellfish of which both are greedy. This couple brought their example of the benefits of a peaceful cooperation, transforming what might appear at first as a physical disfigurements, in a mutually beneficial feature...

Ito-in. Silk seal stag antler netsuke

Ito-in netsuke18th century6.3 x 3.7 cmA stag antler "silk seal" netsuke Ito-in are among the oldest netsuke. Originally used as seals for the silks commerced in the port of Hakata near Nagasaki, they all have similar features: the subject is almost invariably a head of a stranger - European or Asian - deformed to adapt to the stag shape. These figures, called "konronjin" bear a fierce expression, maybe becuse they were used also to incute fear to the superstitious local workers who might be tempted to steal the silks. The missing seal was stored in the cavity...