$4,750
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Description
26" (66 cm.) Unusual large-scale anatomical doll of wood body, legs, arms, and head, all separate and fitted together with pegs, finely formed limbs and hands, all covered in gofun with painted details, large inset glass eyes, blackened teeth, silk hair in long braid down the back, depicting a seated female with an open interior cavity revealing rib cage, internal organs, and a small fetus, with organs being painted different colors and the fetus rendered as a small child clasping its hands in front. Late Edo/Early Meiji Period. mid 19th century. Exhibited Mingei Museum (2005) and Morikami Museum (2012). Published Entertaining the Gods and Man: Japanese Dolls and the Theater, p. 51. Among the different styles of zuboshi-ningyo, anatomical studies of the different stages of gestation were particularly popular. This model is highly stylized but generally accurate on anatomy although not nearly as anatomically accurate as some other zuboshi-ningyo. It is not clear whether this piece was more prized for entertainment value or its potential for medical instruction.