Shishi Guardian Lion Netsuke on Seal Plinth, the Right of a Pair, Inlaid Coloured Stones, Mammoth Tusk
Shishi Guardian Lion Netsuke on Seal Plinth, the Right of a Pair, Inlaid Coloured Stones, 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 $166, 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 8 of 10 ·
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 2.4 cm | 0.9 in |
| Height | 4.6 cm | 1.8 in |
| Depth | 3.0 cm | 1.2 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
Excellent
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
The Answering Lion
Best acquired with the left-hand lion, also in the collection; the Desk will gladly arrange for the two to travel together.
Best for: Collectors of shishi, seal carvings and paired guardians
Condition notes
No conspicuous marks recorded. 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.
Examined in Tokyo, one price, insured to your door. How buying from Japonista works · Join the Circle, free
The right-hand guardian of the pair: a curly-maned lion seated on a square seal plinth, its collar set with coloured stones.
The Piece
This lion faces the opposite way to its companion and sits with forepaws planted, broad chest forward, the tail fanned against its back in flame-like curls. The mane is cut in rows of tight spirals and the collar carries cabochons in blue, red and turquoise, natural gemstones.
As with its partner, the plinth is a polished block of seal form with an uncut face. The carving of the head, with its flared nostrils and rolled brows, is crisp and confident.
Iconography and Meaning
The pairing of open and closed mouths, a and un, makes guardian lions an image of beginning and end, breath in and breath out. Set at either side of a doorway, a shelf or an altar they are understood to keep ill fortune from passing.
Western collectors have sought carvings like this since the opening of Japan, and the great cabinets formed then, now in the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert and the Metropolitan, set the taste that still governs the field: wit, finish, a subject with a story, and a form that is pleasing from every side. This piece answers on each count.
Details
- Type: Katabori netsuke, carved in the round
- Subject: Seated guardian lion on a seal plinth
- Material: Woolly mammoth tusk
- Technique: Hand carving, staining and ink engraving
- Colour: Ivory white with turquoise, red and blue stones
- Length: 24 mm (0.9 in)
- Width: 30 mm (1.2 in)
- Height: 46 mm (1.8 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
- No conspicuous marks, chips or repairs are noted.
- Staining and ink engraving are bright, and the polish is even.
- Every photograph is part of the description.
Condition grade A (excellent) 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.
Further reading: Read our guide Netsuke, Inro and Maki-e: Collecting Japan's Miniature Masterpieces and look up netsuke in the Japonista Lexicon.
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
Looking for a particular subject, carver or companion piece? Our Hunting Salon™ locates it across Japan's private collector circles, then inspects, documents and delivers it to you. Begin a Hunting Salon™ request.
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