A fine ivory okimono-netsuke of Hotei and Daikoku as sumô wrestlers. Early 19th century - image-1

Lot 305 Rα

A fine ivory okimono-netsuke of Hotei and Daikoku as sumô wrestlers. Early 19th century

Auction 1157 - overview Cologne
27.06.2020, 11:00 - Asian Art
Estimate: 1.800 € - 2.200 €
Result: 5.000 € (incl. premium)

A fine ivory okimono-netsuke of Hotei and Daikoku as sumô wrestlers. Early 19th century

Hotei hauls Daikoku up on his shoulders holding him in a firm grip, ready to throw him backwards in a shumoku-zori move. A karako is stanindg next to the wrestling gods, holding a leaf fan (gumbai) used by the sumô judges (gyôji) to direct a fight and announce the winner. Restored.
Height 5.4 cm

This representation of a wrestling match between Hotei and Daikoku also illustrates the victory of the spiritual (Hotei) over financial luck (Daikoku).

Provenance

Collection Karl-Ludwig Kley

Literature

Publ. in: Rosemary Bandini, Tiny Titans. The sumo netsuke collection of Karl-Ludwig Kley, Hong Kong 2006, p. 64