Type: Katabori Netsuke

Material: Painted Wood

Age: Edo Period (1603-1868) 18th C. (1700s)

Origin/Maker: Attributed to Yoshimura Shuzan, Osaka, Japan.

Size: 4.17" long (10.6 cm)

Weight: 0.6 oz (18 g)

Provenance:
Present: Ryan Snooks collection of Japanese & Asian Decorative Art
Previous: Tremont Auction, Fall Asian Works of Art - Two Day Auction, 14 OCT 2017, Lot 379 Deaccessioned from Framingham History Center museum, William H. Smith (1853-1923) collection (see letter from museum).  ​William H. Smith suggested in his will that the Framinham Historical Society work with the Yamanaka & Co. Boston MA to collaborate on the appropriate display of the collection.  Here is the link to the Wiki on the company. Likely some of these items came from this shop:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadajiro_Yamanaka

Collected: Tremont Auction, Fall Asian Works of Art - Two Day Auction, 14 OCT 2017, Lot 379 Deaccessioned from Framingham History Center museum, William H. Smith (1853-1923) collection (see letter from museum).

Condition: Item is used in poor condition commensurate with age, see photos.  Losses and surface wear to painted design,

Subject: Carved wooden Netsuke. Japan, 18th century. Green scaled reptilian demon (possibly an Oni, or some other Yokai) holding two gold gems (one in his hands, the other under a clawed foot).  Demon has a single horn, two large teeth in a gaping mouth, long curly hair (the type often associated with foreigners), and a short tail under the back of his red robe. Polychromed surface with gilt. Attributed to Yoshimura Shuzan. Unsigned. 4" long. All items in session one were collected by William H. Smith (1853-1923)

Location:
Antique Japanese Saishiki Painted Wood Netsuke Demon Yoshimura Shuzan ex Museum

Partial text of letter from museum about collection (I had to REDACT some forbidden "I-words" so that eBay wouldn't freak out):

Dear friends:  This is an exciting time at the Framingham History Center and we want to tell you about some major steps forward we are taking with our “Smith Collection.”  Mr. William H. Smith (1853-1923), a Framingham resident and owner of the original Wadsworth Funeral Home was a prolific collector during the turn of the 20th century.  He was drawn to the aesthetics of objects spanning three popular fields at the time -- the natural world, the colonial revival, and the arts of Japan. William and his wife, Harriet Wadsworth Smith, had no children and, before his death in 1923, Mr. Smith bequeathed his personal collections to the Town of Framingham, to be in the custody and care of the Trustees of the Town Library. He added that if the Trustees declined, “I then give the same to the Framingham Historical and Natural History Society.” In 1950, the Framingham Public Library was housed at Edgell Memorial Library where they opened a small exhibit in a second floor room showcasing pieces from the Smith Collection.  After the library moved out of the building in 1966, the Library Trustees formally transferred the collection to the Framingham Historical Society.  Some of the collection was exhibited until 1989 when it was appraised and 60 pieces were sold at auction.  The remaining 626 works were packed up and largely remained in storage for nearly three decades. Today the FHC has over 15,000 objects including art, artifacts, textiles, furniture, and more.  Our goal is not simply to collect and preserve things, but rather to inspire, enlighten and engage our members and the community. We believe some objects support our mission better than others based on the stories they tell and the ideas they illuminate. The majority of the Smith Collection consists of “high need” Japanese objects that require special storage and proper climate control. We do not have the staff capacity for the research and conservation necessary for exhibit preparation for all of these items without taking away resources needed for other parts of our collection. Artifacts from the Colonial era, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Shoppers World, or Dennison Mfg. Co., for example, more broadly reflect Framingham’s history and should receive our financial and human resources. With input from our Collections Committee, Curator, and Executive Director, the FHC Board has decided to keep a representative sample for future display and deaccession the remainder of the Smith Collection. “Deaccessioning” is a rigorous process used to determine artifacts that should be let go so others may get needed resources for care and exhibition. With a more manageable collection, we can create a permanent exhibit to tell the story of William Smith. After diligent research, the FHC Board selected Tremont Auctions to handle the sale of deaccessioned items at public auction.  Jim Callahan, a partner at Tremont, is a nationally known Asian art expert, and his tremendous enthusiasm for our collection helped us with this weighty decision. You may have seen Jim over many years appraising Asian artifacts on Antiques Roadshow.  The auction is on Saturday, October 14th at the Tremont studio in Newton.   Proceeds from this sale will be used in accordance with accepted museum standards and best practices to help preserve and conserve the FHC collection, including Mr. Smith’s 42 ***REDACTED*** “netsuke” (miniature sculptural carvings) that will need special climate controlled storage cases.  Funds will also be used to acquire additional objects for the FHC collection in the future. The October auction is open to the public and FHC members may bid on these items either in person at the auction house or online.  You can see the auction items beginning on September 15th at www.tremontauctions.com and catalogues featuring the collection will be available at the Edgell Library for you to see prior to the auction. A group of FHC Board, staff and members will be at the auction if you would like to join us. You are invited to learn more about the Asian artifacts in the Smith Collection from Jim Callahan himself at a special luncheon on September 12th.   We are confident that the decision to keep the ***REDACTED*** netsuke as well as other key pieces and auctioning the rest of this collection will free up necessary resources to properly preserve, display and tell not only Mr. Smith’s story, but many other Framingham stories into the future. Our collections are a powerful way to understand and connect us all to our past, present and future. Your continued trust, support and enthusiasm as a member are what keep history alive at the Framingham History Center.  Thank you! With best regards, Jeffrey Delvy, Board President                        Annie Murphy, Executive Director      

COMBINED SHIPPING:

Please check my eBay store to see what else I have listed, as I usually have several similar items listed at the same time.  I’ll do my best to combine shipping for buyers of multiple items; often the combined shipping cost will be only a little more than the cost for shipping the largest item in the set.  If you buy multiple items from me you can either pay the full shipping cost that eBay calculates and I can refund you the difference from what it actually costs to ship, or you can wait to receive a combined shipping invoice from me before paying.  Please contact me in advance if you need a quote for combining, especially for shipping internationally, or when combining larger or heavier items, as the cost for combining might vary.  For smaller, lightweight items, the cost to ship additional items should be negligible.  For large items I may still need to ship separately.

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After winning an item, either through auction, buy-it-now, or best offer, I expect payment within 4 days or a message within those four days indicating when you expect to pay by.  If I don’t hear from you within four days the order will be cancelled, and the item relisted (or sold to the next highest bidder).  Also, if you win an item and then see that I've listed something else you'd like to bid on, feel free to place your bid and then just let me know that you're still bidding on more items.

END DATES, SHIPPING TIMES:

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SHIPPING ADDRESSES:

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Refunds are given for items that arrive with damage due to shipping.  I do my best to protect everything I sell, but much of what I sell is very fragile and the possibility always exists that it might get damaged along the way.  If this happens to you, please let me know how bad the damage is (pictures help), and I can either give you a partial refund if you still want to keep the item, or I might request to have you ship it back using the same packaging, and I’ll refund your cost of shipping (both ways), plus the cost of the item.  Typically this is all processed by requesting a refund through eBay, but I’d appreciate if you’d send me a message first.

Refunds are also given for items you believe I’ve misrepresented, based on condition or otherwise.  I do my best to research, describe in detail, and present comprehensive photos of everything I sell, but sometimes I make mistakes, miss a defect, or am not particularly knowledgeable about the item in question (my expertise is principally in Japanese ceramics).  If you receive an item that you aren’t completely happy with, please contact me and we’ll work something out.  The last thing I want is for my customers to feel that they’ve been taken advantage of.

Order cancellations are possible if I haven’t yet shipped an item out.

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I recommend carefully opening packages over a soft surface so that nothing can fall and break.  I typically wrap multiple pieces, like lids, separately to avoid damage in transit, so there might be multiple items in one box.  If you live in a very cold climate, I recommend letting packages warm up a little in the garage before opening, otherwise there's a possibility a cold item could crack from the sudden shock of warm air.

SHIPPING COSTS:

Shipping is often expensive.  The calculated shipping amount that eBay provides is often even more expensive than it should be.  If the shipping cost seems excessively expensive, please let me know and I’ll see if I can make you a more reasonable quote based on the USPS.com shipping calculator.  Note that the cost of shipping is determined by:

* How far it’s going.  All shipments are sent from Port Hueneme, CA, USA, 93041.  Shipments within California are usually cheap for medium sized items, but not so cheap to the East Coast or other countries

* How bulky the package is.  Typically I ship using the following box sizes: 8”x8”x8”, 12”x10”x8”, 12"x12"x12" or 12”x12”x16”. For larger items I'll combine boxes or use extra large boxes. The size of the box I use will usually need to account for the size of the item, plus 2” to 4” in each direction for packaging.  The size of the box usually doesn’t affect the price much, unless if dimensions start going over 12” or so

* How much the package weighs. To estimate the package weight, I typically take the weight of the item and then double or triple it, depending on how much packing material it will need.

Please feel free to send me any questions about shipping, but keep in mind that it can be expensive, especially for large, fragile items that need to go across the country or the world.

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PRICES, BEST OFFERS & VACATION HOLDS:

I typically list items first at auction at about what I think they might be worth or at about my lowest price, and if they don’t sell I relist them as Buy-It-Now with Best Offer.  After that I’m willing to consider just about anything, but if you think I’m asking way too much on an item, please let me know why rather than just sending me a very low offer (which I might otherwise decline).  How much I’m willing to adjust my asking price (if at all) is dependent on a variety of factors such as: how much I like the item, how much it cost me, how long I’ve had it listed, what it’s valued at, what similar items have sold for, and what other buyers have offered for it.  Items I’ve had listed for years I’ll typically be happy to accept a lot less on (50% to 75% off), while items that I’ve had listed for just a few days will typically be much closer to my asking price.  Please don't be offended if I won't change my price by a lot, as a lot of items I have listed are from my personal collection (I'm making an effort to list and catalogue everything to my website (ryansnooks.com)) and just because they're for sale doesn't mean I'm eager to get rid of them.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

eBay has a limit of 24 photos per listing.  Sometimes this isn’t enough to get all the details of an item.  Please message me if you’d like additional photos of specific details or angles and I’ll try to accommodate.  I typically take a lot of extra photos and post them to my website (ryansnooks.com) as part of my effort to catalogue everything in my collection, so you might find them there

AUTHENTICITY:

Any item details regarding item age, origin, and authenticity are my best guess based on my knowledge of antiques and are not always guaranteed to be correct. Typically the more details I give in the description, the more certain I am of the item. If an item has a marking or signed box, then I'm even more sure. On the other hand, if I’m vague in the description, it’s probably because I’m less sure. I'm pretty knowledgeable about Japanese ceramics, but I'm not an expert in all areas, and there's plenty I don't know. I'm sometimes purposefully vague with Chinese wares because I'm definitely not an expert in that area (and frankly, I don't even bother looking up Chinese marks much of the time because they're often misleading).  Please use your best judgement and check the photos carefully.  Feel free to send me a message with any concerns and I’ll be happy to chat.  If you still aren’t sure on an item please consider having an expert check it out (I recommend posting to websites such as gotheborg.com or ValueMyStuff.com or to any of the many Facebook groups for Japanese Ceramics, Identifying Japanese Studio Pottery, and Chinese Ceramics).  And if you receive your item and still have concerns, please let me know, I can do a return/refund if it turns out that I was way off.

OTHER NOTES:

Any items in the background, used for scale, or used to prop up or display the item are not included in the sale unless otherwise specified or requested.  Photos of other items used as comparative examples (ie from other auctions or museums), are also not included.  Photos of books are not included (unless if I'm explicitly selling a book).  Boxes (tomobako) are typically included if pictured.

Please contact me for any questions regarding the item or shipping, or requests for additional pictures.  Also, feel free to contact me if you see something similar to what you want, as I have a lot of inventory that I haven’t listed yet (so much stuff), and I might have what you’re looking for.