Tall Carved Boxwood Netsuke of a Sage Standing above a Great Carp, Signed, Hand-Carved Tsuge Wood
Tall Carved Boxwood Netsuke of a Sage Standing above a Great Carp, Signed, Hand-Carved Tsuge Wood
- 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 $29, 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
- Balanced 5.5 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 | 8.9 cm | 3.5 in |
| Depth | 2.5 cm | 1.0 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
Out of the River
A legendary subject in a strong vertical composition, and the most approachable piece in the collection for a new collector.
Best for: New collectors of netsuke and admirers of sennin subjects
Condition notes
No conspicuous marks recorded. The polish is even and the carved detail crisp.
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
Couldn't load pickup availability
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
A bearded sage stands calmly on the back of a large carp that twists beneath his feet, carved in boxwood nearly nine centimetres high.
The Piece
The figure holds a scroll or staff across his body and wears long flowing robes, while the fish curls round the base with deeply cut scales and an upturned tail. The underside is incised with a two-character signature.
The carving is crisp and the wood a warm reddish brown.
Iconography and Meaning
The subject is in the manner of Kinko Sennin, the Chinese immortal Qin Gao, who rode out of a river on a giant carp after a month beneath the water. The carp is itself the emblem of perseverance, the fish that climbs the waterfall to become a dragon.
To the eye trained on European sculpture the appeal is immediate and a little startling: a complete composition, finished on every face including the one that rests on the table, in an object that weighs no more than a few coins. It was this union of intimacy and perfection that made the netsuke the emblem of Japonisme, and that keeps it at the centre of Western collections of Japanese art.
Details
- Type: Katabori netsuke, carved in the round
- Subject: Sage standing on a carp
- Material: Boxwood (tsuge)
- Technique: Hand carving with polished finish
- Colour: Reddish-brown boxwood
- Length: 33 mm (1.3 in)
- Width: 25 mm (1.0 in)
- Height: 89 mm (3.5 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.
- The polish is even and the carved detail crisp.
- 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 boxwood, a contemporary work in the classical tradition, examined and photographed in Japan before dispatch. Keep away from direct sun and dry heat; handle freely, as the oils of the hand deepen the colour over time.
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.
Collectors also search: tall boxwood netsuke, sage above a carp · boxwood netsuke from Japan · sennin netsuke
Chosen for you