Featured Antique carved horn child with bells netsuke.

This cutie arrived this morning
Dimensions : 4,4 x 2,6 x 2,8 cm (h x l x w)
I took a plunge at 150€ though he has a damaged foot, where there is a partial signature, because of the nice carving, the different size of the two holes (said to be the clue for a genuine netsuke...) and the beautiful horn translucence. Kyratisation was behind my brain.
There was long time ago a netsuke thread initiated by @Aquitaine , https://www.antiquers.com/threads/d...for-netsukes-so-here-we-go.22276/#post-300186 the expert @Richard Porter doesn't seem to be there anymore
So... Any opinion?

 

Are you positive it is horn, Kyra? I find it unusual to see such a "clean" break with such a fibrous material - OTOH, if it is DEER horn I suppose it could break cleanly and be stained that colour ...hard for me to make any definitive call from the photographs.

 

Your little guy is cute, but he doesn't look old to me, kyra. It was certainly never used, the edges of the holes are too 'sharp'.
He is probably a character from a Japanese folk tale, or a myth.

He has left the building. Or was thrown off after a run-in with Davey.

There is something 'different' about the material, but Kyra said it is translucent, so no antler.

 

Thanks blooey for your insight
That fibrous break is puzzling, but I haven't yet encountered broken horn pieces, and suppose there is an axe where the fibers are verticals (non concentric formation, uh?).
Not turtle shell because of the minute vertical crazing, not amber, not as light as celluloid, and not really willing to proceed the dreadful RHPP test (Red Hot Pin Poke)...
So, here is a pic under UV torch (see the crazing on his cheek):

 

Thanks AJ!
I surely didn't expect him to have been used (sharp holes as you pointed!) nor be more than 120 years old, but still a nice craftmanship.
Kyratisation done! I'm HAPPYYY

 

The crazing on his left sleeve in the first photo had me agreeing with horn, but I also find that break on his foot troubling. I would not expect horn to break like that.

 

Show, show, show.

 

Kyratised!!!
Translucent white polymer clay:

Wrapped the little guy with many layers of tinfoil (love that stuff) with only the foot\shoe part popping out, and baked for 25 minutes at 110° Celsius.
Colored with permanent markers, et voilà!

 

These last photos make him look more like horn. I suppose if he is small enough, and the break aligned with one of the layers of growth, it could look like that.

Nice repair, btw.

 

1.75" X 1.2" approximatively
Thanks for the appreciation for the repair!

 

i'll jump in on the side of horn.........

 

i like the repair...............but.....as it was a minor break...and ran thru the signature......I myself would have left it alone.......
But that's just me......

 

And you know kyra was put on this earth to kyratise.

 

Welll...Duh !!!

 

Again...well done Kyra!!!

 

Thanks! But... I didn't cover the remains of signature, just complete the lacking part, and fully removable, no glue as far as it holds itself in place.
And.... I just couldn't leave it alone

 

Ha! True, it seems...

 

thanks stracci!

 

I understand that.....

 

Of course! When you have the ability, and you know how to pull it off and make the item whole again, there is no way to hold back!
You go girl!!