$35,000
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Description
18" (46 cm.) with cap. Each with carved wooden head and hands, fine gofun finish, painted features, aquiline nose, narrow eyes, heavy eyelids, well defined sky-brows, black-accented teeth, ears, feathering around hair line, black silk fiber hair, rare all-wooden body (he with folded ankles), and posed on original matching cushions. He is wearing distinctive costume of his position composing a billowing outer coat (ho) captured only by a belt and with hidden folds and pockets, layered undercoats of various colors and weaves, purple billowing trousers tied at the ankles and decorated with an undulating weave, and Eboshi cap with diamond patterns that match his inner garment and her outer garment. Her costume also is less formal than court attire, featuring an intricately-woven outer coat that extends 13" in length behind her; her trousers are equally long. Her hair is drawn away from her face into wide wings at the sides and captured into a long braid at the back with hair extensions that reach 40". She carries a hand-painted wooden fan with multi-colored long ties. Excellent condition. Edo period, early 1800s, Yusoku-hina, and bearing the signature X mark of the Yamashina atelier on her tie belt and his collar. The Yusoku imperial couple was often commissioned to the celebrate the birth of a girl in a noble family. The style, with its distinctive colors and weaves was only available to members of the imperial court, according to the Yusoku Manual which defined both costumes and behavior. This extraordinary pair is featured in Ningyo, The Art of the Japanese Doll by Alan Scott Pate, on pages 110-113.