A JAPANESE WOOD NETSUKE OF A SHISHI

A JAPANESE WOOD NETSUKE OF A SHISHI

MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY

The lion dog depicted with both front legs resting on a brocade ball whilst it tries to gnaw at it, with a smaller movable ball inside, the mythical creature with a long mane, a spiralling tail and its eyes inlaid with small dark beads, the base signed Masamitsu in a rectangular cartouche, 4.2cm.

Provenance: an American private collection, purchased 1990s-2010s.