TESSAI: A RARE LACQUERED WOOD GIGAKU MASK NETSUKEBy Kano Tessai (1845-1925), signed signed Tessai 銕哉 to 刀 with kakihan Japan, Nara, late 19th to early 20th centuryPublished: Hurtig, Bernard (1973) Masterpieces of Netsuke Art: One Thousand Favorites of Leading Collectors, p. 174, no. 723.Sachi Wagner (December 1983) Okimono. Origins and Links to Netsuke, Journal of the International Netsuke Collector’s Society, Vol. 11, No. 3, p. 37, no. 25.Finely carved as a man with a grim expression marked by furrowed brows, intense eyes, neatly incised deep wrinkles above the nose and around the mouth, which is pierced and slightly agape revealing teeth, wearing a tall cap surmounted by a very unusual winged feline creature. The mask lacquered black with accents in red and brown to simulate an ancient mask. The back with a waisted himotoshi bar signed TESSAI and kakihan.HEIGHT 4.2 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor and simulated wear.Provenance: Ex-collection Victor Topper. Michael Bernstein, New York, October 1997. European collection P. Jacquesson, acquired from the above.Kano Tessai (1845-1925) came from a Gifu family and started his life as a Buddhist priest, though his father instructed him in the art of carving. He studied Chinese literature and drawing and was a professor at Tokyo art school in 1872. He was also on the examining committee for investigating the ancient art of Japan and subsequently went to Nara where he engaged in the reproductions of old objects of art, such as the present example. Tessai in particular made mask netsuke copied from the Gigaku masks within the Shoso-in repository, where around 225 examples are preserved representing 15 different roles.The Shoso-in is the treasure house of the Toda-ji temple in Nara, Japan. From the very beginning, the Shoso-in has been sealed by the Imperial family. One was permitted to enter only with explicit permission from the Imperial family. Ninety-five percent of the fine arts and crafts in the Shoso-in were produced in Japan around the 8th century, with the remainder imported from the Tang Dynasty, Central Asia, India, Iran, etc. during the same period. Although these collections are not open to the public, selections are shown at Nara National Museum once a year in autumn.Literature comparison:The present mask is difficult to determine and shares some characteristics with the Ranryo-o Bugaku masks, as it shows a similar winged creature on the helmet, however this mask usually has a hinged jaw. A Gigaku mask netsuke illustrated in Bushell, Raymond (1985), Netsuke Masks, p. 70, fig. 8, provides a favorable comparison and is defined as ‘Goko’.