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Kohosai ivory netsuke
Osaka, d. 1907
maiko
height 2 1/2 in., 6.5 cm
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the beauty lifts the hem of her kimono as she walks on her high geta, she wears a robe incised with a cherry blossom design, the obi tied at the back with a large slanted blow; one of her long sleeves blows backwards; her elaborate chignon is set with cherry blossom combs, she casts her gaze modestly downwards with a solemn expression; her hair is stained black, her robe and sandals are stained a light brown, signed Kohosai
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Her hairstyle and the long sleeves (furisode) of her robe suggest that this young woman is likely a maiko- a teenage apprentice geisha.
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In Collector's Netsuke (1971, p. 54), Raymond Bushell discusses Kohosai's remarkable skill at manipulating lacquer to achieve convincing colors, textures and patinas on the surface of his netsuke. This example achieves a similar realism in carving and staining as that of a study of seated figure which Bushell illustrates (p. 128, no. 208).
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Published:
Expressions of Style: Netsuke as Art, Scholten Japanese Art, New York, August 2001, no. 27
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$5,800
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