Japan, second half of 19th century

The ebony wood netsuke depicting two puppies on a finely carved straw hat (kasa). One puppy has three inlaid ivory spots on its fur. The underside of the straw hat depicting a delicately engraved design of a dragon ascending Mount Fuji. The natural himotoshi through the legs of the spotted puppy and an inlaid ivory signature underneath the straw hat - TOMOTADA.

LENGTH 7.4 cm

Condition: Good condition with minor associated wear and a small chip to the rim of the straw hat.
Provenance: German private collection.

This item contains or is made from elephant ivory and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Please note that in compliance with EU regulation effective January 19th, 2022, all items carved from elephant ivory before 1947 must carry a legal trade permit issued by the Austrian ministry of trade, or any other appropriate authority within the European Union. For this reason, any sale of such item can only be concluded after such permit has been granted. All payments made prior to the issuance of the respective permit will be held in escrow until the application for the permit has been approved. Please note that according to EU regulation it may take up to 3 months until the permit has been granted. In case the permit is declined, or not granted after 3 months, the payment will be returned to the client immediately.