Netsuke, antler skull and snail, Japan, 1820-1879

HOKKYO SHIMA SESSAI: A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE ANTLER NETSUKE OF A SKULL AND SNAIL By Hokkyo Shima Sessai (1820-1879), signed Sessai 雪斎 Japan, Echizen, c. 1860 Powerfully carved from a remarkably large and pale section of antler as a human skull, the cavernous eye sockets, deeply recessed nasal cavity, sweeping cheekbones, teeth, and finely incised cranial sutures rendered with an extraordinary synthesis of anatomical observation and bold sculptural stylization.

A large snail crawls across one side, its spiraling shell resting against the temple while its finely crosshatched body stretches over the cheek toward the nose, the slender tentacles extending forward. The naturally porous and mottled structure of the material is masterfully incorporated into the composition, particularly around the crown and sides, heightening the impression of age and decay. Natural himotoshi, the crown pierced with a large circular aperture, possibly for suspension. Signed within the eye socket beneath the snail’s body SESSAI in sosho characters. HEIGHT 7 cm, LENGTH 8.2 cm Provenance: Ex-collection Petra Dorman. Thereafter, in a noted German private collection, Munich. German private collection, acquired from the above.

Hokkyo Shima Sessai (1820-1879), active in Echizen and in the service of the daimyo of Mikuni, was one of the most distinctive netsuke carvers of the nineteenth century. His small recorded oeuvre is remarkably varied, as are his signatures. Sydney Moss noted that Sessai “continually varied his signature,” with published examples ranging from light, flowing sosho to bold, highly stylized forms, and further observed that he particularly favored antler for skulls and skeletons. The unusual signature, material, scale, subject, and execution of the present work are therefore entirely consistent with his documented oeuvre.

The present skull is particularly remarkable for the way Sessai combines acute anatomical understanding with a highly individual, almost abstract sculptural vision: the great hollows of the eyes and nose, the sweeping cheekbones, and the irregular contours of the cranium are reduced to bold, powerful forms, while the pale, mottled antler and its porous structure are absorbed into the carving to suggest weathered and decaying bone.

The result is at once naturalistic and profoundly stylized, and exemplifies the originality of Sessai’s art. The juxtaposition of the skull and snail forms a powerful meditation on impermanence. The skull evokes mortality, while the snail, moving almost imperceptibly yet continuously forward, suggests the passage of time. Together they express the Buddhist concept of mujō, the transience of all existence. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related antler netsuke of a skull and bones by the same artist, signed Sessai, dated c. 1860, 5 cm high, illustrated in Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (1993) Zodiac Beasts and Distant Cousins, no. 51.

Compare another closely related antler netsuke of a skull, tentatively ascribed to Sessai and bearing a highly stylized semi-seal signature, illustrated in Sydney L. Moss (1982) Eccentrics in Netsuke, pp. 102-103, no. 66.