BAZAN: AN AMUSING WOOD NETSUKE OF A FOX TRAPPING A RAT By Bazan, unsigned Japan, Iwashiro or Nagoya, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) A classic model by the rare artist Bazan, though the position of the rat is always different. Here the fox has trapped a rat underneath a tattered straw hat, however the rat has broken through the surface of the hat, apparently with some help from the fox who is tearing at the fabric with his mouth. Half of the rat is visible above, the other half visible on the underside, its tail curling around the string used to attach the hat. The surface is lightly stained and accentuated with black coloring. The fur of the combatants is rendered precisely, and the visible eye of the rat is inlaid in dark horn. The underside with himotoshi. LENGTH 3.6 cm Condition: Very good condition. Provenance: British collection. It is recorded that Bazan was born in Gifu and moved at some point to Tokyo but has been placed by experts in the Nagoya school. However, it is also probable that he was active in Iwashiro, birthplace of Hidari Issan. The reason for this is that Bazan and Basui are surely connected, in part due to the peculiar writing of the first kanji Ba 馬. When comparing Basui and Hidari Issan’s tortoises it becomes clear that they are connected as well. Therefore, my assumption is that all three mentioned carvers were at some point active in Iwashiro. The carving style of the present netsuke certainly shows some similarities with netsuke by Hidari Issan, who also shares the second kanji zan 山. Literature comparison: Compare to similar netsuke by Bazan in Davey, Neil K. (1974) Netsuke: A comprehensive study based on the M.T. Hindson Collection, p.207, nos. 631-633.