SIGNED SENZAN AND RYOSHIN, MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY)

Details

Two Ivory Figures
Signed Senzan and Ryoshin, Meiji Period (Late 19th Century)
The first a single piece of ivory carved as a naturalistic study of a peasant resting against an old tree- trunk, his pipe-case, tobacco-pouch and kagami netsuke hanging from his right hand, dressed in a short coat secured by a girdle around his waist and with a cloth tied around his head, signed underneath with incised characters on an inset ivory plaque within a wavy reserve Senzan; the second carved from a single piece of ivory as a woman in formal dress with an elaborate coiffure, a lantern hanging from her right hand and supported by her left hand, a basket of peonies at her feet, signed underneath with incised characters on an inset ivory plaque Ryoshin
9½ and 9in. (24.2 and 22.8cm.) high respectively (2)

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

Between them, these two figures epitomise two distinct trends in late-Meiji ivory carving. The first, clearly by an artist who was influenced by the sculpture department established at Tokyo Art School in 1889, is an exercise in Western-style naturalism, carving from a single piece of ivory with much attention to issues of physical balance and realistic representation. The second is a more conventional craft item intended for the export market, but still of high technical quality.

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