Circa 1900
 
The well-carved fierce tiger standing on rockwork, with beautifully engraved stripes, looking fierce, the base with one hole, signed.
 
L. approx. 3.8 cm

Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
With us, pre-2021
 
It is easy to date Japanese imagery of tigers since the Japanese did not see a tiger until well after the end of the isolation in the 1850s. Most tiger-looking images are to be dated around 1900. Before that time, tigers would be depicted with humourous but charming cat-like features, named tora neko (tiger cat).