$600
Sold
sold
Click image to enlarge
Description
16" (41 cm.) All-wooden ningyo carved in a deliberately angular rough-hewn manner (itto-bori) with natural wood finish on the partially-revealed face, painted black hair, sculpted and painted costume in elaborate dynamic designs and colors, holding a carved wooden fan in his right hand, and with a whitened mask with smiling expression covering the face; so artful is the carving that the mask appears as a separate attached piece of wood, but is actually the same piece of wood as the entire ningyo. Excellent condition. Showa era, early 1900s. The nara-ningyo traces its sophisticated roots back to the 17th century, with inspiration drawn mostly from the Noh theatre. This particular nara-ningyo is shown in Japanese Dolls, The Fascinating World of Ningyo by Alan Scott Pate, page 166. Meiji era, early 1900s.