Netsuke, ivory, recumbent dog with ball, Gechu, Japan, 18th century

Ɏ A SUPERB AND LARGE IVORY NETSUKE OF A RECUMBENT DOG PLAYING WITH A BALL, ATTRIBUTED TO GECHU, EX BEHRENS COLLECTION Attributed to Gechu, unsigned Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Published: Joly, Henri L. (1912), The W. L. Behrens Collection, Part I, Netsuke, London, 1913, no. 1570, illustrated on pl. XXIX.

Superbly carved as a dog reclining on its side in a relaxed yet playfully contorted pose, its supple body wrapped into a compact composition around a large smooth ball. One forepaw rests possessively upon the sphere while the opposing paw clasps its lower edge, which is sensitively modeled with rounded, floppy ears, a characteristically broad and gently protruding muzzle, two prominently carved nostrils, a subtly delineated mouth, and alert eyes inlaid in dark horn. The paws are particularly finely articulated, while the long tail curls into a tight spiral against the flank.

Very large and wonderfully asymmetrical himotoshi underneath. particularly to the underside. LENGTH 6 cm, WIDTH 5 cm Provenance: Ex-collection W. L. Behrens (1861-1913). Ex-André Lichtenberger Collection (1870-1940), acquired from the above and thence by descent. Walter Lionel Behrens (1861-1913) was a German-born banker and philanthropist who became one of the most prominent European collectors of Japanese art at the turn of the 20th century. Based in London, he assembled a vast and distinguished collection that included lacquer, ceramics, and especially netsuke, which he pursued with scholarly rigor and connoisseurship.

His collection was widely admired by contemporaries and frequently consulted by leading scholars of Japanese art. After his death, much of it entered major public institutions, ensuring Behrens’ enduring influence in the field. Gechu is a somewhat enigmatic carver of netsuke, in that little is known of him, including his residence. For many years he was thought to have worked in Osaka, principally on account of the stylistic relationship between his carvings and those of Risuke Garaku. More recently, Alain Ducros has proposed that Gechu may instead have been active in Kagoshima in Satsuma Province on the island of Kyushu (see Alain Ducros, Satsuma Ivory Netsuke, INSJ, vol. 36, no. 2, 2016, pp. 20-29).

The rediscovery and close examination of the present netsuke mark an important addition to the small group of works associated with Gechu. Although the carving has been known since its publication in the Behrens collection in 1913, the early illustration did not allow the remarkably close correspondence with Gechu's documented dogs to be fully appreciated. Comparison with the celebrated signed dog and puppy from the Katchen collection reveals striking similarities in the broad projecting muzzle with its two carved nostrils, the form of the mouth and ears, and particularly the distinctive treatment of the paws. The scale is likewise remarkably close, the present work measuring 5.7 cm compared with 6.5 cm for the signed Katchen example.

The principal difference is the smooth treatment of the coat. Gechu's best-known independent dogs are generally characterized by luxuriantly carved, shaggy fur, whereas smoother animals associated with his hand more commonly occur as subsidiary figures within larger figural compositions.