In
the style of the Crazy Shishi, this netsuke of a guardian lion bears an exaggeratedly
ferocious expression, with fanciful curling mane, beard and horns. He is depicted
in a lively crouching posture, his head turned and looking out with a menacing
snarl, bushy tail thrown across its back and engraved with fine lines that repeat
in the sectioned hair of the mane, which terminates in a low relief of balls of
fur. This netsuke is tactile with its robust strength compacted into a practical
form.
The
carver Gyokuseki is recorded in Neil Davey's "Netsuke, A Comprehensive Study
Based On The MT Hindson Collection". Nontheless, it is one of the more frequent
signatures in our netsuke collection. The shishi's grotesquely whimsical appearance
might be attributed to a style as
seen in one of our former collection by Shozan. Judging from its
virtually perfect condition. This elegantly executed netsuke is likely carved
in the early to mid twenty century.
