Representative of a character of the Gigaku Theater which has been around since 600 AD. Gigaku theater represents the earliest masks in the world. Appears to be from the early 1800s i. Unsigned, but as any serious netsuke collector knows..
Many of the best netsukes are in fact unsigned pieces of art. The details on this little guy are exceptional... Notice the bulging veins on the top of the forehead. Or the depth of carving in the mouth and fine lines of the teeth. Given its age, there has been some loss of paint. There are very few carvers left in Japan, or anywhere in the world, capable of reproducing such a piece. These lovely little items hang easily with a standard push-pin on the wall. Please see my other masks (including many Japanese ones) that are being listed.Check out my other items. The item "Antique, Japanese, Fine Art, Wooden, Netsuke, Gigaku Mask Mennetsuke" is in sale since Thursday, July 3, 2014. This item is in the category "Antiques\Asian Antiques\Japan\Netsuke". The seller is "maskmonger" and is located in Freeport, Maine. This item can be shipped worldwide.