A MAMMOTH IVORY NETSUKE BY DERKACHENKO OF FUKUROKUJUMammoth ivory netsuke. Japan, If this netsuke lies flat on a surface, only the turtle with its unusually large head can be seen – its eyes tiny and its small yet wide mouth forming a curved line that resembles a smile. The pattern on the shell is decorative and colored. Turning the piece around reveals Fukurokuju, with long, full beard and the characteristic elongated head, to great effect. The name Fuku-roku-ju means luck - freedom - longevity, complemented by the turtle (kame) as a symbol of longevity. Fukurokuju is one of the Seven Lucky Gods, or Shichi Fukujin. With signed and lined wooden box. 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 6.6 CM