Horaku - bat netsuke
Kyoto, circa 1850
Carved in a mid-brown wood, a bat clings to a broken rooftile, awake and alert. The fur of plump body is finely incised and the papery wing and tail membrane is folded and crumpled beneath its rounded abdomen. These textures contrast with the smooth and rigid roof tile which is stippled in places to denote decay. The subject signifies good fortune comes from heaven and resides in the home
Signed in a sunken oval reserve: Horaku
Length: 3.6cm
Provenance:
Victor Topper Collection
Published:
Hurtig, B., Masterpieces of Netsuke Art, Tokyo and New York, 1973, p. 176, pl. 738
