Sargasso
Ebony
A friend once mentioned to me that he seldom bought ebony netsuke because he found them so hard to photograph. As a response I decided to gild the lines of the carving with gold leaf which proved to be rather exciting, adding drama to the scene in an unexpected way.Since the original I have been commissioned to make two more and to my surprise they have all worked out well. This one I think is the third.Sargasso refers to that mysterious part of the Atlantic, the Sargasso reed beds where eels are believed to go to spawn before returning to their home waters. In fact I have recently heard that no-one really knows whether this is true, because the reeds are so thick that they have been unable to prove it.The drama of this piece is emphasized by the staring eyes focused into the center of the carving which serves to make the atmosphere all the more secretive and mysterious.Like most of my work it is signed in engraved 22ct gold.