† TOYOMASA: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF A DRAGON IN A MIKANBy Naito Toyomasa (1773-1857), signed Toyomasa 豊昌Japan, Sasayama, Tanba Province, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)A finely carved wood netsuke depicting a dragon inside a mikan (tangerine) with crisply carved scales, large antler-like horns and flaming whiskers. The dragon is bursting through the soft flesh of the mikan, forming a dramatic, dynamic, and compact composition. The visible eye is inlaid in pale, translucent horn. Himotoshi through the stem which issues a large leaf with finely worked ukibori veins. Signed within an oval reserve TOYOMASA.LENGTH 3.5 cmCondition: Excellent condition, minor wear.Provenance: A noted private collection, USA.This popular model was carved by several members of the Tanba school and was likely utilized to test the skill of a pupil as it exhibits a remarkable number of carving techniques and textures such as sukashibori (openwork) and ukibori. The present netsuke is certainly one of the better examples of this model and is very likely by the master himself.Auction comparison:Compare to a closely related wood netsuke of a dragon in a mikan, signed Toyomasa, at Lempertz, The Kolodotschko Collection of Netsuke II, 6 December 2014, Cologne, lot 838 (sold for 2,604 EUR).13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer’s premium – only for buyers within the EU.