$4,500
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Description
12" (30 cm.) h. 19"l. base. Posed on a wooden base in a very animated dynamic manner are two carved wooden figures, each with gofun complexion and painted features; including the Dragon Princess Otohime clothed in extraordinary Chinese style silk brocade costume with silk hakama trousers, ruffled silk collar and sleeve edging, and tied sleeve closures to allow fluid movement as portrayed in the scene; her exceptional hair is dramatically upswept. Urshima, the man, is clothed in rich textiles including wide leg silk brocade trousers, with embroidered details of cranes on his sleeves; he has a bald pate, with youthful long sidelocks drawn back to a long queue, and he holds the "Box Containing Time" in one hand, a fishing basket and pole in the other, and a turtle is at his feet. Generally excellent. Late Edo, circa 1850. The legend of Otohime, the Dragon Princess who lived under the sea, is complex, tragic, and yet a love story. The "Box Containing Time" is said to symbolically hold immeasurable treasures, and the turtle is a symbol of fertility.