A
gorgeous piece from the 20th century netsuke artist Kogyoku depicting the
Chinese story of Rosei and his dream. Rosei, unhappy with life in his native village,
goes out to seek his fortune. While awaiting his meal at an inn, he falls asleep
on a magic pillow, dreaming that he had married the emperor’s daughter, and in
turn, had become the emperor himself. After waking to the maid brining him his
meal, he goes back to his village, content with the thought that life is an empty
dream.
Signed
Masatoshi, the highly skilled artist used different signatures for different levels
of quality, though little else is known about him asides from his consistently
fine work and a tendency to work primarily in black and white. The piece itself
is immaculately carved ivory, a dream emanating from Rosei over an etched dragon
tsuitate (one- paneled Japanese screen) containing eleven minute figures dressed
as priests and other members of the royal court. The tsuitate is etched on both
sides, a dragon swirled with wind enclosed by wood. One of the more remarkable
features is the design itself, its dual depiction of the dream world and the real
world within the space. A fascinating and very well executed netsuke.
