An ivory netsuke depicting a recumbent deer holding a sprig of maple in its mouth, a motif long associated with the autumn season in Japanese art and literature.
On stylistic grounds, this example can be confidently associated with the Insai studio, one of the most prolific studios of the formative period of netsuke production (circa 1680–1750). Research into the Insai workshop, begun more than two decades ago, continuing to reveal its remarkable influence on the development of the art form. Increasing evidence suggests that many of the workshops active during what we prefer to describe as the Professional Age of netsuke (after circa 1750) trace their origins to artists who trained as apprentices within the Insai studio.
Among these is Yoshinaga, whom we believe began his career as a deshi (apprentice) in the Insai studio. After establishing himself as an independent artist, Yoshinaga revisited this same deer-and-maple composition, providing a fascinating link between the formative traditions of the Insai studio and the mature artistry of the later eighteenth century. (The Baur Collection. Geneva. C1168)
The enduring appeal of an Insai netsuke lies not only in its aesthetic qualities but also in the experience of handling it. These works possess a tactile warmth and natural simplicity that reward close examination. To hold an Insai netsuke is, in all likelihood, to hold one of the earliest expressions of netsuke conceived as an art form rather than merely as a functional object. As one of the pioneering workshops in the development of netsuke as an art form, the Insai studio established methods of carving and design that formed the foundation upon which later generations of professional carvers built.
Anonymous. 4cm Wide.
For another example by the Insai studio. Please see the link to the Met Museum.
Accompanied by a CITES certificate permitting commercial use within the European Union: 2025/BE02294/CE
