Antique Japanese Ivory Netsuke
Three Samurai
Carrying Big Conch
Signature: Gyokusho, Circa: 1900s'
H 1.3 in.(3cm), W 1.5 in.(4cm), D 1.2 in.(3cm)
Condition: age crack, o.a. good!

Sold to Private Collection

Three Samurai mythical attendants to the patron warrior and mythic hero Benkei carry an oversized conch tightly bound by ropes that also secures a sharpened sword, that sits gently over the lips of the shell. The detail here is beautifully rendered; delicate flowers and pattern are inscribed onto the happi coats of the samurai. The conch is sumptuous and ridged. Their countenances communicating a peaceful stoicism. The bottom of the netsuke is arched with graceful green bamboo and a signature in an inscribed oval reserve. Gyokusho is a famous carver recorded in "Contemporary Netsuke" by Miriam Kinsey.