A rare ivory figure of a pest controller, holding aloft his successful trap with its recent catch still inside. He pokes out his tongue at the viewer. The question is: in what setting does a pest controller display such mocking gratification? Is he standing opposite a rival, another pest controller who on some earlier day mocked him for his inadequacies, and to whom he is now "getting his own back"? Or is he in the streets of his hometown, peddling his expertise and attempting to attract custom from a passer-by troubled by an infestation? We shall never know. What we do understand is that his instrument - the trap - and his garment, decorated with scarecrows, define his profession. We also understand that today, at least, he has been successful in his struggle against one of his most wily foes.
Netsuke art never ceases to amaze in the way it portrays, in miniature, such a wide variety of aspects of Japanese life, and in a great many cases humour is central to that artistic expression.
For many years, our gallery has been gathering examples of the work of the Insai studio. Quite simply, the studio's early period of activity, its historical significance, and its vivid evocation of the human dimension of Edo-period Japanese life have long fascinated us. Its work is also too often overlooked, frequently because it is anonymous, and because, even today, many enthusiasts still equate signature with quality.
Living with examples of netsuke from the studio, and researching this body of work, has led us to the view that the Insai studio was a foundational establishment, one that devised many of the studio practices that would form the bedrock for the apprentices trained there, who would then carry those practices forward for generations. If one compares our pest controller with the "monkey catcher" in our gallery (link), one can observe similarities strong enough to suggest that the makers of both netsuke were working within the same studio environment (at some point) while also noting sufficient differences to distinguish one artist from another. We have prepared a small document to demonstrate just how powerful observable similarity can be as a tool of evaluation; please see link.
