† MASAKATSU: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A PIEBALD HARE WITH AMBER EYESBy Suzuki Masakatsu, signed Masakatsu 正勝Japan, Yamada, Ise Province, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Superbly carved, of ideally compact form, depicting a seated rabbit with piebald fur achieved by clever staining, the large eyes inlaid with pure amber, the animal further detailed with long floppy ears and subtly incised and darkly stained whiskers and hairwork, the himotoshi between the left hind paw and the body, the right haunch with the signature within a polished oval reserve MASAKATSU.LENGTH 4.3 cmCondition: Good condition, appealingly worn, distinct wear to the cord channel, few light surface scratches. One tiny chip to left fore paw.Provenance: Ex-collection Paul Althier, Zurich. Sotheby’s London, 6 December 1972. Douglas J.K. Wright Ltd., London, acquired from the above. Ex-collection Martin Newstead, acquired from the above. Sotheby’s, 24 October 1984, London, lot 76. A noted private collection, USA, acquired from the above.Suzuki Masakatsu was the son of Masanao I, the founder of a remarkably prolific netsuke carving school which is active to this very day. Masakatsu’s output is fairly limited as he did not enjoy good health, however he is widely regarded by scholars as the most talented of Yamada carvers and often came up with new and original designs or carved existing designs according to his own image and imbued with his own special character.Auction comparison:Compare to a related wood netsuke of a hare, by a member of the Masanao family, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 11 May 2017, London, lot 3 (sold for 2,250 GBP).13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer’s premium – only for buyers within the EU.