Japanese Works of Art - 16th November 2023
Lot 835
A JAPANESE WOOD NETSUKE OF MONKEYS
Estimate £250 - £350 | Hammer £403
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Description
A JAPANESE WOOD NETSUKE OF MONKEYS
EDO OR MEIJI, 19TH CENTURY
Cleverly carved as four monkeys with two heads: one pair seated and the others kneeling on all fours; one covering its mouth with its hands and the other cradling its right ear, the gestures reminiscent of those of the sambiki saru (the Three Wise Monkeys); with a large himotoshi in the centre, 4.8cm.
The model for this netsuke is probably the Chinese 'sixi tongzhi' twin boys. The children are often represented in a similiar entwined position, which represents the principle of ancient Chinese cosmology known as liangyi sheng sixiang, in which two primary forces (yin and yang) generate four images.