A SET OF SHICHI FUKUJIN MAMMOTH IVORY NETSUKE BY ALEXANDER DERKACHENKOMammoth ivory netsuke. Japan, Derkachenko has always had a special talent for carving faces, and also made netsuke of the customer’s portrait. In this work, he has carved the Shichi Fukujin, the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan. They all have different appearances and facial features representing their specific characteristics. Hotei is laughing happily, as is Ebisu, the god of fishermen, who is holding a big fish he just caught. Fukurokuju, the god of wisdom and longevity, with the typical elongated forehead, and Daikoku, the god of wealth, naturally also appear happy. On the other hand, Jurojin, next to a crane, and the martial Bishamon, appear rather morose. The only female Lucky God, Benten, is playing the lute. All seven works are carved with great accuracy as ‘real’ netsuke, regarding the form and correctly placed himotoshi. All are signed, as is the box with tasteful case. Condition: Good condition CONTEMPORARY NETSUKE CARVER ALEXANDER DERKACHENKO (No.60-65) Alexander Derkachenko, born 1964 in Sambor, has been carving netsuke since 1995 and does so to this day. Originally, he was an engineer for military aircraft. We met him by mere chance in Kiev in 1997 and subsequently invited him to our netsuke symposia – the VIENNA NETSUKE SYMPOSIA (VNS). The 2002 Kiev publication Contemporary Netsuke from the Ukraine, by Alexander Derkachenko shows a photograph taken in the old GALERIE ZACKE on Schulerstraße of the British netsuke artists Guy Shaw and Michael Birch, the former curator for Japanese art at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Uspenksy, and Derkachenko. Guy Shaw wrote the words “Four desperate men” on this picture, while someone else wrote “Four happy men” underneath them. Derkachenko is the only one of these four men to still be alive. The following netsuke works come from his still very active workshop. One of the artist’s specialties is the lively, expressive carving of faces. In the foreword of the aforementioned publication, Guy Shaw wrote, “Alexander Derkachenko is a truly gifted sculptor who has chosen the difficult path of netsuke …”. HEIGHT 3.3-4.1 CM