Shishi,
the Chinese guardian lion is the protector of Buddhist faith.
It is both a symbol of Chinese imperial power, and the ineluctable
force of Buddhist doctrine. Shishi are traditionally shown
in pairs. The female is represented with the cub under her
foot, and the male is recognized with a ball which symbolized
the creative power of the male principle. However, such prototype
posted no barrier for fun loving Japanese carvers; as this
well aged shishi netsuke depicted here, the ball of creative
power has became a large egg, in which another shishi is peeping
through. Instead of the usual furocious expression, both of
these shishi(s) appear to be confused, their facial expressions
are somewhere between mischeivious and surprise.
The
style of this netsuke is qualified as belong to the Osaka
school of the early 19th century. Not unlike many carvers
of this region, there is little information available on Sadahiro,
whose signature is incised near the base of this fine netsuke.
The ivory is beautifully aged. It appears to come from the
core of the tusk, with a patina varying from a rich cream
to light-gold. The detail is finely picked out and has worn
gently over the years.
