NAKAMURA TOSHIMARU: A SPECTACULAR IVORY NETSUKE OF AN EAGLE WITH THREE MONKEYS By Nakamura Toshimaru, signed Chikushu Nakamura Toshimaru Japan, Hakata, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) A powerful and dynamic scene of an eagle clutching not one, but three monkeys (!), between its talons, as it greedily fixates them, its beak opened dramatically, tongue pressed forward greedily, and the inlaid pupils of lustrous dark horn inset at the very front for further dramatic effect. The ivory is heavily stained, black for the feathers, which show superb hairwork, and the crown and beak are purposely left white. The monkeys show some red pigment, suggesting blood where the talons have pierced through their bodies, as they screech and cower in agony. The signature is neatly incised in a rectangular reserve chikushu NAKAMURA TOSHIMARU 中村利丸. Natural himotoshi between the left wing and one of the monkey’s paws. HEIGHT 3.8 cm Condition: One tiny, professionally done and invisible to the naked eye, restoration to the very tip of the left wing. Very good condition with minor expected wear to staining. Provenance: Sotheby’s, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, 7 April 2004, Olympia, lot 94. Then British collection. This extremely rare Hakata carver (only the present netsuke appears to be recorded) was a pupil, together with Matsushita Otoman and Nakamura Toshimitsu, of Bokugyuken Toshiharu. The expressions of the monkeys and the position of the pupils in the eagle are very much reminiscent of Otoman’s work. Literature comparison: Compare with a similar netsuke by Nakamura Toshimitsu in Rutherston & Bandini, ‘Japanese Netsuke’, May 2013, no. 26 (illustrated on the front and back cover). Also compare to a similar netsuke in Bernard Hurtig, Masterpieces of Netsuke Art, page 78, no. 255, where the signature is undeciphered but presumably reads Bokugyuken. Note the similarities in the manner of carving and the placement of the signature, neatly written inside a rectangular reserve.