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• Lot n° 109 (Bensberg-Frankenforst, geb.1941), signed with the stylized name “Alex” within an oval carved reserve H. 9,5 cm Finely carved representation of a mermaid. The female figure, with long centrally parted hair and an exposed upper body, tapers into a stylized fishtail with a forked fin. German private collection, acquired from Offermann & Schmitz, Cologne, in 1979 - This stag antler netsuke of a mermaid originally formed part of the stock of the Cologne-based dealership Offermann & Schmitz and is therefore directly connected to the firm's efforts to introduce contemporary European netsuke carving to an international audience. During the 1970s, Offermann & Schmitz worked closely with the painter, illustrator, and carver Alex Ignatius, promoting his works among collectors of netsuke. Ignatius, who studied at the Cologne Werkschulen and later worked as an illustrator for magazines and books, had been carving netsuke since his youth. His works combine traditional Japanese models with an imaginative and distinctly personal artistic vision. The present mermaid unites the traditional form and function of a netsuke with a subject drawn from European mythology. This fusion of different cultural traditions is one of the defining characteristics of Ignatius’s work. At the same time, the piece stands as a rare testament to a brief but remarkable period in which European artists embraced and reinterpreted the Japanese netsuke tradition - Good condition