An Ebony Netsuke of a Horse, Edo Period (19th Century)
A seated horse, finely carved.
The eyes inlaid in pale and dark cow horn.
The eyes inlaid in pale and dark cow horn.
3.9 cm. (1 1/2 in.) wide
Signed under hind leg: Itsumin (Hokyudo Itsumin, active circa 1830-70)
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Further images
Hokyudo Itsumin lived and worked as a netsuke carver in Tokyo.
Hokyudo Itsumin lived and worked as a netsuke carver in Tokyo.
Provenance
The Ankarcrona collection
Sten Ankarcrona (1861-1936) started collecting Japanese works of art as a young officer in the Swedish navy. On his first visit to Japan in the late 1880s he became fascinated by the intricacies of Japanese lacquer, making numerous purchases, and continued to add to his collection after his return to Europe. In 1923, by then an admiral, he went back to Japan at the request of the King of Sweden, at which time he made numerous more purchases. The collection was then further added to by the admiral's descendants throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries.