Unsigned
circa 1840
A wood netsuke of a farmer reclining on one side and lost in beatific slumber, his blissful expression suggesting that he has drunk sake as refreshment under the midday sun. He has clearly been harvesting millet as he holds several sprays of the cereal, which rest on the ground beside him. A billhook is tucked into the back of his obi while its owner enjoys his nap.
Length: 6.3cm
Provenance:
Dr Joseph & Edie Kurstin collection
Virginia Atchley collection
Published:
Okada, B.T. & Neill, M.G., Real and Imaginary Beings, The netsuke collection of Joseph and Edith Kurstin, 1980, p. 87, no. 84.
Atchley, V. & Davey, N.K., The Virginia Atchley Collection of Miniature Japanese Arts, 2006, p. 135, N179.