By Ishikawa Rensai, sealed Ren 蓮
Japan, Tokyo, Asakusa, second half of 19th century

The temple gong with the handles formed as two veiny lotus leafs, the body of typical form and the center adorned with a finely carved lotus pod surrounded by minutely incised leaves. The reverse with a central himotoshi with further finely carved leaves above the signature in seal form within a raised rectangular reserve – REN. The ivory attractively stained and the surface masterfully polished, both typical for the artist.

HEIGHT 4.4 cm

Condition: Very good condition, extremely minor wear to staining, and a tiny chip to the rim of the mokugyo on the underside.
Provenance: European 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.