A wood study of a Toad. Circa 1760 - 1790.
The creator of our toad was a master of capturing the moment and captured the toad at the point immediately preceding placing a morsel of food in its mouth. The toad has swivelled its head towards its hand at the same time as bringing its hand towards its mouth, hastening the feed.
These subtleties appear minor, though they are the features that elevate a composition. Furthermore they demonstrate the ambitious nature of our creator.
The two little leaves found on the underside at one time housed a signature. That signature was subsequently removed as its presence was deemed spurious. Whether that was the correct action is debatable. A modern netsuke-shi did attest that the overall conception was what one would expect from the artist/studio synonymous with the signature originally found on the netsuke.
Ex: Raymond & Frances Bushell Collection.
