MASATADA: A RARE EBONY NETSUKE OF A TOAD ON A WARAJI By Masatada, signed Masatada 正忠 Japan, Ise-Yamada, early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Carved seated, facing slightly to the side, on a discarded straw sandal (waraji), its rope thong forming the himotoshi, the toad's warts and sandal's texture neatly detailed. Signed to the sandal on the underside within a rectangular reserve MASATADA. LENGTH 4 cm Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear. Provenance: Estate of Guenther Kauth (1946-2016), Frankfurt am Main. The artist was a member of the Yamada school. The model here is one of this school's most popular subjects; the use of ebony, however, appears to be extremely rare, with no other examples recorded in public or private collections. Literature comparison: A closely related wood netsuke by Masatada is illustrated in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part A, p. 466; and another is illustrated in Barry Davies Oriental Art (1996) Netsuke from the Teddy Hahn Collection, p. 82, no. 112.