Passed
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Description
35" (89 cm.) seated. 27" x 26" seated. The grand-sized Isho-ningyo depicting a seated female figure with well-formed head carved of wood and covered in gofun with painted details, silk fiber hair gathered into a single long back braid, realistically rendered hands with detailed fingernails and palm creases, wearing a silk brocade kimono featuring chrysanthemum floral bursts, thick obi tie belt, with five additional simulated under kimono layers, all-over beni (safflower red) chirimen, silk crepe hakama trousers, fan tucked into kimono, and posed seated atop a large gold leafed Buddhist altar stand with inset tatami mat bordered by silk matting. Fading and wear to trousers, stiffening of textiles, wear to right foot. craquelure on right hand. Edo Period, 19th century. Ningyo of this scale are an exceptional rarity. Her identity is elusive, although she has long been named as the Lady Murasaki Shikibu, the famous late 10th/early 11th century novelist and author of the Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji). The superlative figure is thus posed with brush and poem card, her hand curled to hold a brush or pen.