A POWERFUL STAG ANTLER NETSUKE OF A DRAGON WITH TAMA, ATTRIBUTED TO MOTOTADAAttributed to Mototada, unsigned Japan, Kyoto, mid-18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Powerfully carved, the three-clawed two-horned dragon writhing around a large tama pearl which is smoothly polished, creating an appealing contrast to the dragon’s scaly body, the beast with a ferocious expression, its eyes inlaid with dark horn. The skillfully executed incision work is darkly stained for effect. The tama with the rather well-hidden himotoshi. The base of the tama and areas of the dragon’s body with a rich, pale-brown patina.HEIGHT 5.3 cmCondition: Very good condition, minor wear, natural imperfections.Provenance: Ex-collection Michael Tomkinson (by repute).The present lot is attributed to Mototada, who belongs to an important group of 18th-century figure carvers, which also includes Tomohisa. About this group, Jay Hopkins writes, “Working in staghorn, they primarily produced large figures ranging from 3 to 6 inches in height. Subject matter usually involved Chinese legends, including Shoki, sennin, Kann’u, guardians and entertainers. They effectively used black horn to inlay eye pupils, buttons and other details – perhaps the earliest cavers to use this technique.” See Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (2016) Kokusai The Genius: and Stag-antler Carving in Japan, vol. I, p. 30.Literature comparison: Compare a related stag antler netsuke of Chinnan Sennin and a dragon by Mototada, illustrated in Chappell, Sharon / Welch, Matthew (1999) Netsuke: The Japanese Art of Miniature Carving, p. 24, no. 9.