| Centemporary
Japanese Ivory Netsuke
Two
Quails
Feeding in Mullet Basket
Netsuke Signature: Ittan, early 19th Century
H
0.75 in.(2cm), W 1.75 in.(4.5cm), D 1.75 in.(4.5cm)
Condition: minor chips! Ittan
was a member of the Toba clan who later lived and worked in Nagoya and Gifu. He
is noted in all the references as an excellent wood and ivory carver who preferred
to carve figures and animals. He used to carry his current work with him, polishing
it with his kimono sleeve. He was the teacher of Suzuki Masanao, also called Masanao
I, the most famous of the artists who bear that name. Ittan died around 1877. | 
Private Collection |
This
netsuke depicts two quail in a basket. It is carved from a cream colored piece
of ivory, which has been thinned to translucence and textured finely to represent
the straw basket, in which whole bunches of fresh millet have been laid, with
long weathered leaves. The two quail are cohabiting nicely in the basket, which,
with its abundance of food, provides them with no reason to quarrel. This would
seem to contradict the customary meaning of the subject, envisioning instead a
tableau of peace and plenitude. | | | |
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