AN IVORY NETSUKE OF MENDEZ PINTO

SIGNED KOSEN, 19TH CENTURY

Details

AN IVORY NETSUKE OF MENDEZ PINTO
Signed Kosen, 19th Century
A figure of the Portuguese Fernandes Mendez Pinto, the first foreigner to arrive in Japan, wearing a hat and carrying a long horn and flower, a long-armed monkey holding a string, the reverse with an inscription Tenmon gannen (1532) shichi gatsu itsuka, Ranjin Hi no moto Sakai ni mochikitaru bannin yorokobu (5th of July a Dutch brought in Sakai, Japan and everyone was happy), (tiny repair to rim of hat)
15.5cm. high

Lot Essay

He introduced the arquebus known as tanegashima when shipwrecked off the island of Tenaga shima in the south of Kyushu. The correct year of this incident is the 12th year of Tenbun (1543) as opposed to the date on this netsuke.

A netsuke by Chokusai of Mendez Pinto holding a gun is illustrated in B. Hurtig, Masterpieces of Netsuke Art, p.56, no. 159.

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