Modelled in fine white Hirado porcelain as Hotei, one of the Seven Lucky Gods, shown reclining contentedly with his hands placed behind his head, his smiling expression rendered with delicate facial features and lightly tinted brows. He wears a flowing robe picked out in soft underglaze blue with iron-brown edging, the glaze thinning attractively at the extremities to reveal the biscuit beneath.
The reverse with two neatly formed himotoshi, one larger and one smaller, pierced through the robe and body, an elegant and functional solution typical of porcelain netsuke from the Hirado kilns. The underside unglazed.
Length approx. 5 cm (2 in).
Height approx. 3.2 cm (1.25 in).
In excellent condition with no chips, cracks or restoration visible.
