Wood netsuke of a snail on fungus. Circa 1870 by Shigemasa

Another masterpiece of delicate carving, the reishi fungus stippled and lightly stained beneath, dark stained on top, its stem forming the himotoshi.

The snail is treated with the same sensitivity, its soft body stippled, a dark stained line running down the ridge, the shell stained from light to dark with a dappled surface

Signed beneath the fungus with rectilinear characters on a smooth rectangular reserve: Shigemasa

Provenance: 

Julius and Arlette Katchen collection, Paris

Sold at their sale (part II), Sotheby’s London, 13th July 2006, lot 214, where purchased by the present owner

Literature: 

A. Katchen, Netsuke 7, vol. 2, pp. 52-53, no. K630

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Stock number