HAKURYU: A RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF A RECUMBENT OX

HAKURYU: A RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF A RECUMBENT OX
By Unsho Hakuryu II, signed Hakuryu 白龍
Japan, Kyoto, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
Finely carved as an ox lying in a recumbent pose with the legs drawn in and tail flung to one side, the head turned to the same side, looking ahead with eyes inlaid in mother-of-pearl, the rope halter slung around the neck, the fur neatly incised and stained in variegated shades of brown to indicate piebald markings, the spine well carved, the underside with asymmetrical himotoshi and the signature HAKURYU.
LENGTH 4 cm
Condition: Good condition with minor wear, few fine age cracks, tiny chip to the tip of one horn.
Provenance:
From the collection of Gaston Lazard (1878-1956) and his wife Jane Levy (1886-1985) and thence by descent within the same family.
The present netsuke is a rare example from this artist, who is better known for his carvings of tigers.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related ivory netsuke of a calf and cow by Hakuryu II, similarly carved and stained with piebald markings, illustrated in Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures, vol. 1, p. 438, and another in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part A, p. 121.
Trade Certificate:
The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number AT 23-B-0149).
This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.