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A WOOD NETSUKE by GYOKKEI
Signed Gyokkei, Early Meiji Period ( 19th century )
An old blindman with only a rag around his waist, one eye white in ivory, and a tremor growing on the back of the head, crouching to lift a large boulder. The himotoshi is formed by two holes, one lined with green-stained ivory. Signed 'Gyokkei' on an ivory rectangular tablet inlaid on the bottom of the man.
For the last century, this well-known subject has been erroneously described as a blindman or blind beggar lifting a stone, or stone lifter. In a recent Q&A of the International Netsuke Society Journal (INSJ), Joseph Kurstin and Yukari Yoshida described the subject to be actually a blindman afflicted with Elephantiasis, a disease that is characterized by the thickening of the skin and underlying tissues, especially in the legs and genitals. Here we see an old and poor man trying to lift his gigantic genital.
This subject has become a classic collectible and can be found in many collections. Many of these have been made by the prolific netsuke carver Gyokkei. A very similar example is illustrated on card 71 of the Meinertzhagen Card Index, published in Frederick Meinertzhagen (edited by George Lazarnick), 'The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum', part A (New York, 1986), p. 84.
1 1/2 in. (3.7) cm. high
Condition: Excellent
Price on Request - ref. 683621
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