Antique
Japanese Carved Okimono
Dance
With Rooster
Signed:
Kogyoku, Circa: Meiji, early 20th century
H 3 in.(7.5cm), W 2 in.(5cm),
D 1.25 in.(3cm)
Condition: age cracks, o.a. very good Here
a farmer tries to catch a rooster that has excitedly flown up onto a tree stump.
The man is dressed in traditional farmer’s clothes, wearing a manju netsuke, and
he is holding two sticks, standing on one foot appeared to be in dancing steps.
The farmer vital countenance expresses gentle joy and amusement. His clothes are
rendered with simplicity, but attentive to the natural folds and soft falls of
the cloth. In contrast, the rooster's feathers are finely rendered. He is at ease
and elegantly turning his head glancing at the farmer sideways. Their sculptural
movement has masked over a highly complex composition. The dynamic pair express
a joyous contentment, a simple life rendered in rich moments. This
late Meiji era okimono is a wonderful example of the depiction of the mise-en-scenes
from common life that became very popular during the Meiji era in the late 19th
and early 20th century.The artist Kogyoku is a prolific and superb carver. The
okimono is signed on a coral reserve at the base of the figures. The ivory is
cream white and moist. Excluding a hair line crack on the right foot, the okimono
is in very good condition.
| 
Private Collection |
