Fine Antique Japanese Ivory Okimono
Tea Party
Sennin Tanuki and Boy
Signature: unsigned, Meiji, 19th Century
h.2.5 in.(6.5cm), w.1.75 in.(4.5cm), d.1.25 in.(3cm)
Condition: o.a. excellent!

Sennin are generally regarded as magicians with supernatural powers, beings who enjoy rest in the solitude of mountains for a hundred thousand years, after which time they again enter the cycle of transmigration. This sennin is dressed in his distinctive cape of mugwort leaves and a lotus leaf hat, holding a branch of ling chi, the fungus of immortality. He is accompanied by Karako, the figure of a happy boy, both of them accepting refreshment served by a tanuk, a trickster and a scamp who loves sake. Here he is hosting the occasion, leaning forward as he wraps himself around the sake pot, keeping an alert eye on the boy. The sennin holds his cup high, the boy is bringing his to his lips while the tanuki watches for his response.

This impeccable carving is cut from two pieces of ivory, with the tanuki attached to the main group by an ivory rod. The piece is minutely carved and finished, the details accomplished with a very fine hand. Each of the characters is fully realized; the kindly sennin, mouth open in a smile, reveals teeth individually carved and exquisitely fine inking of eyes and eyebrows. The tanuki is equally personified, his bushy tail held up and his expression expectant. The small boy is finished with hairline strokes for the details and the convincingly wobbly stance of a toddler holding on for balance. Altogether a remarkable group imbued with artistic excellence, liveliness and humor.