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A large wood tonkotsu Meiji Period image 1
A large wood tonkotsu Meiji Period image 2
Lot 134

A large wood tonkotsu
Meiji Period

5 November 2009, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £3,600 inc. premium

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A large wood tonkotsu

Meiji Period
Of wide form, lacquered in low relief on one side with a crow perched atop a recumbent elephant's back, the other with a puppy beside a reclining ox; with details inlaid in raden, ceramic and pottery, with wood manju netsuke; unsigned. 23½cm (9¼in) wide.

Footnotes

黒白図とんこつ提げたばこ入れ 無銘 明治時代

The design is taken directly from Nagasawa Rosetsu's (1754-1799) 'Black and White, Big and Small' screens (currently in the Joe Price Collection), illustrated by Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc 2000, The 200th anniversary of His Death, Exhibition Nagasawa Rosetsu, pp.112-113, no.39, in which the artist wittily explores the visual contrast of shapes and sizes. The white elephant and black ox fill the space of the object whilst the tiny white puppy and black crows contrast sharply with them.

Additional information

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