A BOXWOOD NETSUKE BY ALEXANDER DERKACHENKO OF DARUMABoxwood netsuke. Japan, Daruma is the famous father of Zen Buddhism, a popular and always parodic motif. Legend has it that he crossed the ocean on a single reed, and then meditated for nine years, during which his legs rotted off from sitting so long. He is also popular as a snowman, Yukidaruma. This netsuke shows Daruma meditating, with an agonized expression, crafted by the artist with lively charm. Possibly he is freezing as well, as suggested by the sleeve. Inlaid eyes, garment decorated with kiku blossoms (chrysanthemum), a scroll in front of Daruma. 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 4 CM