Edo period (1615-1868), late 17th century
Nagasak school
Unsigned
Carved ivory, with inlaid eyes
9.5cm high.
the ivory with a good patina.
Provenance：Vienna private collection, purchased from London, 1957.
Standing, turning to the right, his slender body slightly twisted.holding his flute with one hand and a rolled makimono (handscroll). his robe engraved with scrolls formal designs. his coat, worn over fur breeches and carved with breaking waves and clouds. his broad hat carved with a floral plume.Staring into the distance, missing Homesick.
Often the portrayal of Dutch merchants in netsuke has resulted in somewhat grotesque figures, attenuated and lifeless.The manners and mores of foreigners, which to the Japanese meant Europeans, particularly the Portuguese, sometimes the Dutch, were often ridiculed in netsuke.NETSUKE with a serious foreigner theme is very rare,The style of carving is one that has been attributed by carvers from Nagasaki in Kyushu.
Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated being the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a figure in European dress.
In 1543 the Portuguese arrived in Japan, followed by the Spaniards, Dutch and English. This resulted in an enormous interest in people with different physical characteristics, clothing, customs and accoutrements.
By 1641, however, all Europeans had been expelled from Japan. The only exception was the Dutch, who were allowed to trade from the island of Dejima. The fascination with Europeans nevertheless continued, manifesting itself in the carving of figural netsuke with Western features during the late 17th and 18th centuries.
These often presented a fusion of the many outside influences in Japan from the 16th century onwards, resulting in rather inaccurate depictions of foreigners. This particular netsuke of a Chinese or Japanese figure in contemporary European dress is a typical example.
In the 18th century, Japanese craftsmen made netsuke in the form of standing European figures. like this Dutchman. These netsuke were made at a time when Japan was virtually closed to Europeans.
The netsuke carvers seem to have based their European faces on a type of doll known as Saga ningyo (Saga doll). The other source was prints and paintings of foreigners produced in Nagasaki.
Reference：「NETSUKE- The Miniature Sculpture of Japan」P157（№355）
根付展—NETSUKE図版P176），日本経済新聞社主催（外務省、文化庁、アメリカ大使館後援），1981年5月
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