Netsuke of a Beaming Hotei with Treasure Sack over His Shoulder, Mammoth Tusk
Netsuke of a Beaming Hotei with Treasure Sack over His Shoulder, Mammoth Tusk
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- United States · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked Check the Shipping Flowchart here
- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $102, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
With EMS, any charge is collected by your postal service on delivery. For pieces of significant value we can often arrange duties prepaid before dispatch.
How the estimate is reached · Ask for a figure on this piece
- Character
- Ornate 6.5 of 10 ·
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 3.3 cm | 1.3 in |
| Height | 4.9 cm | 1.9 in |
| Depth | 2.8 cm | 1.1 in |
Every piece is measured by hand, in centimetres as Japan measures. Please allow 1–2 cm (about ½ inch) for the give of the material and the hand that held the tape.
Where each figure is taken · View the plate
Object, sculpture and ceramics
Condition report
Very Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
Contentment
The face is the thing. It is difficult to look at without smiling back.
Best for: Collectors of the Seven Lucky Gods and Zen subjects
Condition notes
Light marks of handling and age. Staining and ink engraving are bright, and the polish is even.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
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All sales are final. Please read our refund policy before purchase.
Considered offers only. The Desk replies personally to figures made in good faith; those set far below the asking price receive no reply.
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Hotei throws back his head and laughs, belly bare, his great sack slung over one shoulder.
The Piece
The laughing monk is shown walking, robe open and sliding off, one hand gripping the neck of the bag. The sack is engraved with a chequered cloth pattern and a tied mouth, and his fan hangs behind. The face is all smile. Light marks of age are noted.
There is a red seal signature underneath and the cord holes are placed in the back.
Iconography and Meaning
Hotei, the only one of the Seven Lucky Gods based on a real person, was a wandering Chinese monk of the tenth century whose sack never emptied and who gave everything away to children. He is the god of contentment, and rubbing his belly is said to bring luck.
The Japanese name for the pleasure such an object gives is te-zawari, the feel in the hand. A netsuke is meant to be turned, warmed and known by touch as much as by sight, and its surface will mellow with the years to the soft tone collectors call patina, the gentle beauty of use that the aesthetics of wabi and sabi hold dear.
Details
- Type: Katabori netsuke, carved in the round
- Subject: Laughing Hotei with sack
- Material: Woolly mammoth tusk
- Technique: Hand carving, staining and ink engraving
- Colour: Ivory white with soft brown and black
- Length: 33 mm (1.3 in)
- Width: 28 mm (1.1 in)
- Height: 49 mm (1.9 in)
- Period: Contemporary, in the classical tradition
- Made in: Japan
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 to 2 mm.
Condition
- Light marks of handling and age are present; the Desk will send close photographs of any area on request.
- Staining and ink engraving are bright, and the polish is even.
- Every photograph is part of the description.
Condition grade B (good, light wear) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Carved by hand in Japan from the tusk of the woolly mammoth, an extinct species whose fossil tusk is not elephant ivory and is not listed under CITES. It is a contemporary work in the classical tradition, examined and photographed in Japan before dispatch. Rules on mammoth tusk differ between countries and, in the United States, between states; please confirm that it may be received at your address before you buy. Keep away from direct sun, dry heat and sudden changes of humidity, and handle with clean dry hands.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped by hand in Japan in soft tissue and a rigid case, and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. More in Netsuke, Sagemono and Inro and Okimono, Figurines and Statues.
Concierge
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