AN OLD WOOD NETSUKE OF A DIVING GIRL (AMA) Unsigned Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) The gently smiling diving girl shown standing, one hand on the back of her head fixing her hair and the other holding a basket filled with awabi clams in the front. She is dressed only in a sea-weed skirt, her supple breasts elegantly sculpted. The netsuke is beautifully worn from generations of handling, with a superb aji, clearly well-loved over the centuries. The damage does not seem to distract from its beauty, but rather adds to it. Large, functional himotoshi through the back of the skirt. HEIGHT 6.8 cm Condition: Worn condition with losses and chips. Provenance: Ex-collection Teddy Hahn, Darmstadt. Purchased from H. Hohenadel in 1988. Teddy Hahn remarks in his notes: “I will never sell it”.