Featured DON'T SEE A SPECIFIC THREAD FOR NETSUKES, SO HERE WE GO!!!!

Hi!! Shout out to @Richard Porter !!!! Need your expertise if you'd still like to help!!! I'm hoping you're still willing to!!! Said I only have two .....one for DH and one for me, for our birthdays YEARS ago from my Mother......she had a small collection.....but not sure how much she researched them!! But we still love them anyway!! Mine is....we were always told "Kinko and the Carp", and DH, because he always did the quahoging for the family, got the other one!!!
Hoping they post in the order I want them to!! So, I would most like to know A. are they authentic, B. approximately what age, and C. can you read the signatures?!!!! I've no idea if they're right side up or not!! THANK YOU in advance for any and all input!!!!! BTW, approximate sizes are shown in the LAST image......!

 

Aquitaine, I know nothing about netsukes and don't have even a single one, but I have to say, those two have tons of personality! I think they're charming!

 

Absolutely agree! What a good idea for a gift, and the quahog being a perfect fit for your hubby!

 

very nice....
I can't say either is that old...but both look authentic...IMO.

 

Here are my two netzuke, glad you started the thread, Aquitaine

First one, wise man with a fan is 1.5/8" high, base width 1.3/8"

Second one, the eater with a big bag, is 1.3/8" high, base width is 1.5/8". He is signed, but by who?
Both were in my grand mother collection as far as 1930'

 

Kyra, yours are both adorable and full of character as well!!!!! And regardless, I can't read the signatures!!!!!! Hoping @Richard Porter will see these and offer some of his expertise!!!!!!!

 

Thank you @SBSVC !!! Oldest bro got away with some REALLY nice ones, but WE love ours!!!!

 

Thanks, Komo!! I'd love it if they were old, but if not, that's OK too!!!

 

I think that these are tourist quality pieces, not a high standard of carving. They are charming nonetheless, and I wouldn't mind having one.

My guess is that the quahog piece might be functional. That's because of the configuration of the holes (hemotoshi). You would feed a cord through the smaller hole and knot it, then the knot would nestle in the larger hole.

http://www.jncohen.net/Japanese-Netsuke/Cordhole.htm

I think the others are decorative - netsuke in format, but not intended for use.

Like Komo, I would guess not so old, 20th C, but I don't know pre- or post- WWII.

 

Such cute carvings! I'm glad you started this thread, Aquitaine

I've posted this first one, signed Gyokuseki, years ago to this forum in this thread: https://www.antiquers.com/threads/japanese-netsuke-questions.3916/
but never got my approval email for the netsuke site suggested, so haven't got any further information about it. Especially interested in any info on carver and if possible, age.

The second carving is almost 2" (just under 5 cm) long and is drilled lengthwise like a bead. Would this have been part of a necklace? I don't imagine that she has much age to her. Wondering what the signature reads?

Thank you.

 

OH, Quirky, I Love them BOTH!!!! Am I right in your first image in seeing two little beaks peeking out of the basket??? Adorable!!!!! Hoping someone can read Japanese on all of the siggys!!!!!

 

Thank you!
They're little fish heads poking out of the basket (and, yes, they are really adorable)


edited to add: I made it sound like it was a basket of fish heads. It's a basket of fish ... the heads are still attached to their bodies!

 

Yep!! NOW I do see they're fish !!!!! Even cuter!!!!

 

Think maybe the fish is more like a flounder? (No, really.)

 

I am glad you all like your items. That is always the main thing. In my opinion , however , all items shown so far are NLOs or netsuke like objects. All are Chinese and relatively modern. The quality of the carving is just not there even for ones from the Edo period. The himotoshi are not correct and nor are the signatures. Really sorry but this is the case with about 90% of Netsuke out there. It really is a mine field and truly not worth getting in to unless you are prepared to do a huge amount of reading and handling authentic netsuke. There also comes the issue of Netsuke reporting to be old being fake and some even post the 1947 ivory ban. Like I said if you like them great but authentic or valuable Netsuke they are not. I will post some pictures later today to show you the differences. Sorry

 

they are all very cute and beautiful. so glad i liked on this thread

 

Totally agree, but I'm glad you said it. I so hate to disappoint people.

As to post-CITES ivory, I can only say, buy imitation netsuke if you like them, but please don't buy ivory ones, even if the seller says they are pre 1947. There are cute wooden ones with inlaid eyes coming out of China and Indonesia nowadays. As fake as fake can be, but very cute.
As Richard said, you have to know what you are buying. That goes for anything of value, as we know from this forum.
I made a study of netsuke in the 1970s and 80s, but never bought any after the early 80s. The ones I did buy, pre-internet, were all from old collections, people I knew from the Dutch antiques and collectors circles. I was the youngest Asian antiques dealer in the Netherlands at the time, so they all came to size me up anyway. That novelty factor led to some great contacts in a short period of time.

 

As promised here are some examples out of my collection for you to compare.
These have all been seen at Bonhams by Neil Davey who is the worlds leading authority on Netsuke.
The first depicts a Japanese boat carrying people from different social classes including a monkey trainer. It was carved in the late 19th century by Masatami and is in the style of Katabori. It is 5.5cm long and would have taken its maker many weeks to complete probably by gas or candle light.

This next netsuke depicts Hyotan Namazu . It is mid 19th c and depicts the Buddhist concept of the futile attempt of something impossible , in this case two boys trying to capture a catfish with a gourd. It is signed Masateru and is cited in Lazarnick Vol 1 pg 731


The next is a mid 19th C egg tester in ivory . Signed by Tomohisa and about 4 cm high.




Te next is a very rare subject which depicts 2 sennin or wise men who lived in ancient Japan on top of mountains. They were hermits and never left their mountain tops other than one Chokaru sennin who is the one on the right with the staff. All Sennin were the Sennin of something and Chokaru is the rennin of travel. He is always depicted with a staff and carrying on his belt a magic gourd from which his magic white horse would appear. The other Sennin with him is Gamma Sennin and he is the sennin of medicine . He is always depicted with a toad. So to have these two rennin depicted together is very unusual and was probably carried by a travelling doctor , clever eh ?



The next is a very old and functional 18th C netsuke again depicting Chokaru Sennin . This is one of my earliest pieces and id about 10cm tall. He is depicted as are all sennin wearing a mugwort cape. I love the expression on his face..



finally , for now , Ki No Tsurayuki as samurai night watchman by Hogyoku which bears the Hirate - mon badge. Again this is a rare one and extremely well carved late 18th C


Thats all for now folks. Hope you can now see the differences in quality of carving on authentic netsuke. If I can help any further I will be glad to give my opinion on items

 

A hard act to follow. This is my one & only, a Bactrian camel that I'll spread over 2 messages. I should mention that the piece is more yellowed than pix show & is not multi-colored anywhere, even though some pix that had to be doctored look that way.

 

And other angles. I imagine this is at most 'vintage'.



There is a similar one shown here:
https://www.carters.com.au/index.cfm/index/3226-oriental-objects-netsuke-ivory/?page=6