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Lot 17 A PRIVATE SWISS COLLECTION
This collector holds a passion for the natural world, combined with a deep appreciation of the extraordinary craftsmanship inherent in Japanese art. Every piece in this collection is a celebration of nature, often through its less universally-appreciated inhabitants – including snakes, toads, ants and snails – subjects frequently depicted by Japanese artists with an astonishing level of realism throughout the Edo and Meiji periods. Inspiration surely came from a large live toad he kept for many years as a pet in his garden, which he nursed into its old age. He and his wife began collecting in the 1980s and focussed on netsuke, inro, okimono and sword fittings, purchasing from London auctions and dealers such as Eskenazi Ltd., amassing an extraordinary collection which is very much cherished to this day.
This collector holds a passion for the natural world, combined with a deep appreciation of the extraordinary craftsmanship inherent in Japanese art. Every piece in this collection is a celebration of nature, often through its less universally-appreciated inhabitants – including snakes, toads, ants and snails – subjects frequently depicted by Japanese artists with an astonishing level of realism throughout the Edo and Meiji periods. Inspiration surely came from a large live toad he kept for many years as a pet in his garden, which he nursed into its old age. He and his wife began collecting in the 1980s and focussed on netsuke, inro, okimono and sword fittings, purchasing from London auctions and dealers such as Eskenazi Ltd., amassing an extraordinary collection which is very much cherished to this day.
A WOOD NETSUKE OF TADPOLES
SIGNED SOSUI (OUCHI SOSUI, 1907-1972, TOKYO), SHOWA PERIOD (20TH CENTURY)
Closed5 December 2017
Price Realised
GBP 3,250
More Information
Specialist note
Sosui was a pupil of Soko and studied with him for ten years. See George Lazarnick, Netsuke and Inro Artists and How to Read Their Signatures, (Honolulu, 1982), vol. 2, p. 1039.