The sale of the Robert S. Huthart Collection of Iwami Netsuke: Part I at Bonhams on 15 May attracted strong bidding. All of the top ten items far out-performed their presale estimates, and the sale achieved a total of £1,315,646. The Fine Japanese Art sale made £1,062,661 and the two sales achieved a combined total of £2,378,307. Businessman Robert S. Huthart was born in Newcastle in the UK, but lived and worked for most of his life in Hong Kong. Fascinated by netsuke the small carved ornaments worn as part of Japanese traditional dress he built up over many decades the finest collection ever formed of netsuke from the historical Iwami district in South West Japan (today part of the Shimane prefecture). Highlights of the sale included: A boar-tusk netsuke with an applied snail, by Seiyodo Tomiharu. Sold for £68,810 (£5,000-5,500) A large boxwood netsuke of a toad by Mitani Goho. Sold for £52,500 (£4,000
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