Japan, early to mid-18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Carved in tobori (Chinese style), depicting a man reclining on the rounded rectangular base, his head resting on his arm, holding a fan in the other hand, wearing a loose-fitting robe tied at the waist and a conical hat, the face with a calm expression, the long beard neatly incised. Himotoshi to the back and underside.

HEIGHT 3.2 cm, WIDTH 3.5 cm

Condition: Good condition, appealingly worn, natural age cracks, old chip to the hat smoothened over time. Fine, honey-gold patina.
Provenance: French private collection.

This item contains or is made from elephant ivory and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Please note that in compliance with EU regulation effective January 19th, 2022, all items carved from elephant ivory before 1947 must carry a legal trade permit issued by the Austrian ministry of trade, or any other appropriate authority within the European Union. For this reason, any sale of such item can only be concluded after such permit has been granted. All payments made prior to the issuance of the respective permit will be held in escrow until the application for the permit has been approved. Please note that according to EU regulation it may take up to 3 months until the permit has been granted. In case the permit is declined, or not granted after 3 months, the payment will be returned to the client immediately.