A POWERFUL KYOTO SCHOOL STAG ANTLER NETSUKE OF A ROARING SHISHI Unsigned Japan, Kyoto, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) A well-sized, compact stag antler netsuke carved as a roaring Buddhist lion in distinct Kyoto style, with bushy brows, a reishi-shaped nose, a long curling mane and beard, and large floppy ears. The mouth is opened wide showing the fangs and the eyes are inlays of dark horn. Two paws are visible in the front. The underside with a plug and the himotoshi in the back inlaid in bone. The material is masterfully utilized for dramatic effect. HEIGHT 4.8 cm Condition: Excellent condition with 'natural flaws' to the material. Provenance: Ex-collection Richard R. Silverman purchased from Julie Cohen, Santa Monica, in 2000. Richard R. Silverman (1932-2019) was a renowned Asian art collector with one of the largest private collections of netsuke outside of Japan. He lived in Tokyo between 1964 and 1979 and began to collect netsuke there in 1968. Since the 1970s, he wrote and lectured about netsuke and was an Asian art consultant for Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams. His gift of 226 ceramic netsuke to the Toledo Museum of Art constitutes perhaps the largest public collection of these miniature clay sculptures in the world. After moving to California, Silverman became a member of the Far Eastern Art Council at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1984. In 1993, he joined LACMA's Executive Board. He served on the board of directors for the International Society of Appraisers from 1986 to 1994 and served nine years as chair for the City of West Hollywood Fine Arts Commission. Richard Silverman was posthumously awarded the Order of the Rising Sun for his decades-long promotion of Japanese culture.