HIDEHARU: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF THREE SNAILSBy Hideharu, signed Hideharu 秀晴 Japan, Nagoya, c. 1880Published: Wilhelm, Gabor (2004) Bulletin Franco-Japonais, no. 83, p. 44-45.Wilhelm, Gabor (Spring 2004) On the Continent, International Netsuke Society Journal, Vol. 24, No. 1, p. 35.Exquisitely carved as two adults and a smaller snail clustered together, the top snail having emerged from its shell, its optical tentacles fully extended and touching the shell, the small snail fully retreated into its shell, the subtle incision work creating a striking contrast between the varying textures, heightened by the superb staining (allegedly made using powdered turtle shell), the tail of the other adult forming the base and the himotoshi of the netsuke and signed HIDEHARU.HEIGHT 3.9 cmCondition: Very good condition, minor wear, few light surface scratches. Provenance: Christie’s, 19 November 2003, Paris, lot 48 (sold for 11,163 EUR). French private collection, acquired from the above.Unlike other netsuke carvers, who preferred the much more common subject of a single snail, Hideharu favored larger groups of two or three.Museum comparison:Compare a related snail group by Hideharu, formerly in the collection of Raymond Bushell and now in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number AC1998.249.196.Auction comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of two amorous snails by HIdeharu at Christie’s, 16 May 2007, London, lot 319 (sold for 10,200 GBP). Compare a closely related wood netsuke of three snails by Hideharu at Lempertz, 11 June 2022, Cologne, lot 413 (sold for 11,340 EUR).