SHIGEKAZU: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF A TIGER

SHIGEKAZU: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF A TIGER
By Shigekazu, signed Shigekazu 重一
Japan, Tanba Province, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
Finely carved as a seated male tiger (tora) with a beautifully worked fur coat, the tiger stripes rendered with polished areas against the neatly incised hairwork, the docile feline turning to its left, rather amusingly trying to appear like a powerful creature, its mouth closed with fangs visible at the corner, and the enigmatic, somber eyes inlaid with lustrously polished, brown horn. The underside shows the well-carved paws and the signature within an oval reserve SHIGEKAZU - a rarely encountered pupil of Shugasai Toyokazu who is widely regarded as the most accomplished pupil of Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856), founder of the Tanba school of carvers.
LENGTH 4.2 cm
Condition: A tiny, old chip to the edge of one paw. A section of the tail has been lost with associated repair. Minor touch-up to the right ear.
Provenance:
From an old private collection in Geneva, Switzerland.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related wood netsuke of a tiger by Toyokazu at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, Myth, Mirth and Magic - Important Netsuke and Sagemono from the Guy de Lasteyrie Collection, 14 June 2023, Paris, lot 67
(sold for EUR 15,360)
.