WOOD NETSUKE OF A DEER BY SAKAI MASAKIYO (ACTIVE 19TH CENTURY) EDO PERIOD (1615-1868) OR MEIJI ERA (1868-1912), 19TH CENTURY 江戶或明治 十九世紀 木彫根付 鹿 銘「正清」 the recumbent deer with the hooves tucked underneath the body, the head turned towards its left and arched upwards to the sky, its large antlers minutely carved and extending downwards over its back, the body finely incised with fur neatly parted in the middle along the spine, the face with a serene expression and the eyes inlaid in dark wood, signed Masakiyo (4cm wide) Qty: (1) Provenance: Private English collection, London Note: Sakai Masakiyo (1875-1955) followed the style of Suzuki Masanao of Ise. An almost identical netsuke of deer, slightly larger (4.1cm wide) and without an artist's signature, is dated to the 19th century and in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no. 10.211.1999; a wood netsuke of a coiled rat, also signed Masakiyo, was in the collection of Joseph and Elena Kurstin and sold at Bonhams New York, 16 December 2022, lot 40.