A fine ebony wood bokutō. Mid-19th century - image-1 A fine ebony wood bokutō. Mid-19th century - image-2

Lot 298 D α

A fine ebony wood bokutō. Mid-19th century

Auction 1259 - overview Cologne
10.12.2024, 11:00 - Asian Art
Estimate: 2.500 € - 3.000 €
Result: 3.780 € (incl. premium)
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A fine ebony wood bokutō. Mid-19th century

Of bijutsugatana-type, in the shape of a bean pod. Slightly curved with gentle undulations of eight beans within, a looped stalk at the top with tendrils and foliage as well as a maggot to both sides inlaid in bone. A narrow longish opening forming the himotoshi.
Length 30.4 cm

The collector's records indicate an attribution to the well-known netsuke carver Kaigyokusai Masatsugu (1813/1818-1892). The motif and quality of execution of the present piece are certainly reminiscent of this carver, especially as bokutō are known from a number of netsuke carvers (incl. Minko, Minkoku, Toyomasa and Ikko). However, Meinertzhagen only mentions a single bokutō by the hand of Kaigyokusai in the Oscar Raphael (1874-1941) collection in the form of an eel, carved from reddish wood and signed by the master. (Cf. Frederick Meinertzhagen, MCI. The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum (2 vol.), New York 1986, p. 299).

Provenance

From the collection of Dr Reinhard Lohrberg (1943–2024), Hanover, acquired from Kanegae, Kyoto, 24.7.2013