EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY)

Details

FOUR KISERUZUTSU [PIPECASES]
Edo Period (19th century)
A stagshorn pipecase carved in relief with the sennin Chinnan conjuring a dragon out of his bowl, unsigned; another carved in relief and stained with a long-armed monster (inlaid horn eye) sitting on a rock in a stream and holding a gourd above its head, the gourd forming a himotoshi, unsigned; another carved in sunk relief with a festival procession of men and women with lanterns crossing a bridge, festival floats and a mountain in the background, lacquered black stopper associated, signed near the base on the reverse Chobunsai Eishi hitsu Isshosai Kokoku kizamu [painted by Chobunsai Eishi, carved by Isshosai Kokoku] with a recessed red seal Kokoku; and another marine ivory pipecase, pierced and carved with fruiting branches and a bamboo fence
77/8in. (20cm.), 8in. (20.3cm.), 7¾in. (19.6cm.) and 83/8in. (21.2cm.), 7½in. (19cm.) long respectively (4)

Provenance

The first, Sir Trevor Lawrence Collection
The third and fourth, Henry Charles Clifford Collection

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

For the sennin Chinnan, see lot no. 51.
Chobunsai Eishi (1756-1829) was a leading print designer, specialising in bijinga [portraits of beautiful women]; Kokoku is believed to have worked from about 1830 to 1868, see George Lazarnick, Netsuke and Inro Artists and How to Read Their Signatures (Honolulu, 1982), vol. 1, p. 647.

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