Netsuke, carved ivory goat, Japan, 18th century

Ɏ A FINE IVORY NETSUKE OF A GOAT, ATTRIBUTED MITSUHARU Attributed to Mitsuharu, signed Tomotada 友忠 Japan, Kyoto, late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published: Hull Grundy, Anne (1963), The Antique Collector, Tomotada and Okatomo, fig. 20.

Superbly carved seated upright on its haunches, the compact body tightly composed with the legs drawn close beneath and alongside the body, the head raised and turned sharply to one side. The animated expression is particularly striking, with large almond-shaped eyes inlaid in dark horn and the mouth slightly open in a characteristic grin, revealing individually carved teeth and prominent canines. The long ears are swept back beneath a pair of boldly curved horns, while a finely incised beard descends from the lower jaw. The shaggy coat is rendered with remarkable vigor in dense, deeply carved and overlapping locks sweeping rhythmically across the neck, chest, shoulders, and flanks. Himotoshi through the underside and side, and signed within a rectangular reserve TOMOTADA.

LENGTH 3.8 cm Provenance: Ex-collection Anne Hull Grundy. From a noted French private collection, acquired from the above. Anne Hull Grundy (1926-1984), later Anne Hull Grundy Boucheron, was a British art collector and philanthropist renowned for her discerning eye and scholarly dedication. Though best known for her collection of European decorative arts and jewelry, she also assembled an important group of Japanese works of art, including netsuke. Much of her collection was generously donated to public institutions, most notably the British Museum, ensuring its accessibility to scholars and the public. Mitsuharu is one of the fifty-seven carvers recorded in the Soken Kisho of 1781.

A quintessential Kyoto animal carver working principally in ivory, his style is closely related to Tomotada, whose signature appears on many netsuke attributed to Mitsuharu. His goats are distinctive for their animated faces with open mouths revealing prominent teeth and canines, strongly curved horns, and vigorously carved shaggy coats. The present netsuke displays all these characteristic traits and closely corresponds to signed examples by Mitsuharu. Literature comparison: For a discussion of the carver and his goats see International Netsuke Society Journal (INSJ), 2019, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 11-23, figs. 6-8.

Museum comparison: Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a goat by the same artist, signed Mitsuharu, 4 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number F.771.