$16,000
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Description
20" (51 cm.) The carved wooden head with fine lustrous gofun finish, is pin-attached to the hollow torso which allows a "nodding" action (the distended stomach allowing movement of an inner weight that facilitates the nodding action), painted features, narrow eyes, feathered brows, open mouth with tongue, shadowed bald pate, well-defind ears, silk crepe (chirimen) upper arms, carved wooden limbs with pin-jointed articulation at cradle-shaped hips, knees and ankles, concave openings at back legs to allow realistic posing possibilities, large feet designed for self-standing, curled fingers, sexed, wearing red under-kimono jacket with fawn-spotted silk crepe sleeves, and a richly-colored yuzen-dyed silk crepe (chirimen) kimono with peony design. Excellent condition. Edo period, circa 1800. The original wooden box with signature is included. The development of the articulated ningyo signaled a radical change in how the Japanese ningyo was perceived: originally as a static object of display, and, then, with the mitsuore as a doll designed to be handled and re-dressed - that is, a play doll. This doll is photographed and described in Ningyo, The Art of the Japanese Doll by Alan Scott Pate, pp 70-71.