Japan Wood Wood netsuke depicting a child lying down, signed Masakazu. - 4.3 cm
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Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 3,300 - € 3,700
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Japanese wooden netsuke depicting a reclining child, signed Masakazu, from the late Edo period (19th century), 4.3 × 3 × 2.3 cm, in good condition with patina, from a British private collection.
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Description from the seller
Rare wooden netsuke representing a lying child — Signed Masakazu — Japan, 19th century
Charming and unusual Japanese netsuke in carved wood, depicting a naked, chubby child lying on the stomach, head slightly raised and legs folded up. This particularly expressive composition testifies to the humor and ingenuity of the Japanese netsuke carvers of the 19th century.
The figure features a round face with generously chubby cheeks, delicately incised eyes, and a carefully modeled anatomy. The arms, hands, and feet are carved with special attention to detail. The wood offers a beautiful reddish-brown patina, enhanced by darker tones in the hollows, which accentuate the sculpture’s volumes.
The piece bears an incised signature Masakazu (正一) on the thigh. Several sculptors used this name, so attribution to a specific artist should remain open.
An original composition
Traditionally presented in a lying position, this netsuke also offers an interesting second reading when observed vertically, with the head directed downward and the legs raised.
This arrangement recalls certain depictions of karako performing a balance on their forearms, notably those illustrated by Florian Langegger in Netsuke in Comparison, pp. 112–113. This is an iconographic comparison offered for comparative purposes, and not a certain identification of the posture intended by the sculptor.
This double reading adds to the composition’s interest and illustrates the ingenuity of netsuke, designed to be appreciated from different angles.
Provenance
Former British private collection. Belgian private collection since 2018.
Condition
Good overall condition, with a beautiful patina and signs of wear compatible with the object's age. One foot has been previously repaired, documented restoration. No other known restoration work.
Dimensions: 4.3 × 3 × 2.3 cm. Weight: 6.2 g.
Bibliographic reference: Florian Langegger, Netsuke in Comparison: Motifs and Their Variations, Arnoldsche, 2018, pp. 112–113, for the iconographic association.
Video Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/z3hby5a0g1pumd7ql39lb/AEw9u88DkzUMAJjEpSlWR_4?rlkey=xtb83f2wvfpwjkmfh6sc2uaei&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateRare wooden netsuke representing a lying child — Signed Masakazu — Japan, 19th century
Charming and unusual Japanese netsuke in carved wood, depicting a naked, chubby child lying on the stomach, head slightly raised and legs folded up. This particularly expressive composition testifies to the humor and ingenuity of the Japanese netsuke carvers of the 19th century.
The figure features a round face with generously chubby cheeks, delicately incised eyes, and a carefully modeled anatomy. The arms, hands, and feet are carved with special attention to detail. The wood offers a beautiful reddish-brown patina, enhanced by darker tones in the hollows, which accentuate the sculpture’s volumes.
The piece bears an incised signature Masakazu (正一) on the thigh. Several sculptors used this name, so attribution to a specific artist should remain open.
An original composition
Traditionally presented in a lying position, this netsuke also offers an interesting second reading when observed vertically, with the head directed downward and the legs raised.
This arrangement recalls certain depictions of karako performing a balance on their forearms, notably those illustrated by Florian Langegger in Netsuke in Comparison, pp. 112–113. This is an iconographic comparison offered for comparative purposes, and not a certain identification of the posture intended by the sculptor.
This double reading adds to the composition’s interest and illustrates the ingenuity of netsuke, designed to be appreciated from different angles.
Provenance
Former British private collection. Belgian private collection since 2018.
Condition
Good overall condition, with a beautiful patina and signs of wear compatible with the object's age. One foot has been previously repaired, documented restoration. No other known restoration work.
Dimensions: 4.3 × 3 × 2.3 cm. Weight: 6.2 g.
Bibliographic reference: Florian Langegger, Netsuke in Comparison: Motifs and Their Variations, Arnoldsche, 2018, pp. 112–113, for the iconographic association.
Video Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/z3hby5a0g1pumd7ql39lb/AEw9u88DkzUMAJjEpSlWR_4?rlkey=xtb83f2wvfpwjkmfh6sc2uaei&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
Japan
Century/timeframe
Fin de l’époque Edo, XIXe siècle
Name of object
Wood netsuke depicting a child lying down, signed Masakazu.
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
2000
Material
Wood
Country acquired from
United Kingdom
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Gallery / Antique dealer
Height
4.3 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
2018
Width
3 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Europe
Depth
2.3 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
Disclaimer
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
