Two cow bone Netsuke, of Edo period merchants
$232.00
Shipped from Japan. Shipping costs and payment details are confirmed by e-mail before any payment.
One: Seated merchant, over a bale of rice
Two: Seated merchant, smoking
Maybe I felt the Netsukes call out to me - I passed by a small pawnshop, seemingly there forever, ran by an old couple.
It was a Sunday, but the door was half open. I peeked in and saw those two Meiji period Netsukes sitting next to each other like brothers, despite their different signatures. Later I tried to decipher the signatures, but the carvings are small and the inscription not clear enough to be entirely sure of the name.
Not of an outstanding quality, these two Netsukes do, however, have character. They are genuine and exude an exuberant mood reminiscent of successful Edo period merchants. As they sat there looking forlorn between Western style porcelain, flower vases and tea cups, I decided their immediate adoption was necessary.
The larger one, sitting over a rice bale, bears a happy street-wise smile, as if just having closed a favorable deal. He perches protectively over the bale. The smaller one’s face exudes a relaxed confidence. At ease, he holds a smoldering traditional pipe in his right hand, with his tobacco pouch in the left, its own Netsuke visible above the hand.
DB
