A FINE JAPANESE WOOD NETSUKE EDO/MEIJI PERIOD Depicting an eagle attacking a monkey

A FINE JAPANESE WOOD NETSUKE

EDO/MEIJI PERIOD

Depicting an eagle attacking a monkey, the raptor holding its terrified prey in its claws, the feathers and hair finely carved and with the eyes inlaid in horn, signed Nobukazu, together with a copy of Barry Davies Oriental Art, 100 Selected Pieces from The Netsuke Collection of Scott Meredith where this very piece is illustrated, 4.3cm. (2)

Provenance: an English private collection, purchased from Barry Davies Oriental Art Ltd.

Cf. F Meinertzhagen, The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum, Part B, p.608, for three other netsuke by Nobukazu.

Barry Davies notes that little is known about Nobukazu and that he may have been a pupil of Hokyudo Itsumin or Tomokazu of Gifu.