Netsuke, wood, Japan, early 19th century. HEIGHT 5,55 CM
The monkey sits on a rock with well-mannered legs and holds a piece of fruit. The figurative depiction is smooth and demonstrates simplicity in its artistic adeptness with strong humorous expression. The monkey looks namely quite human but at the same time with a very simpleminded expression. His ears are volutes and the head in profile is rather flat with a pronounced snout. What is he holding in his hands – a giant chestnut, perhaps also a peach? ... Himotoshi on the back, green-greyish staining of the boxwood.
From a German private collection
Note: In 1987 in the netsuke exhibition at the Gallery Comes, we had an almost the same, slightly smaller piece, clearly by the same artist (catalogue no. 49), described as “scurrile study of a monkeyâ€â€¦