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Description
11" (28 cm.) and 15 1/2". The pair with finely formed heads of wood with painted details including blackened teeth and okymayu skybrows, and full rounded cheeks are dressed in coordinated combination of figured silk and chirimen silk crepe over stiffened paper, with unusual painted wisteria and pine bough designs with couched silk thread surrounds, and o-bina (imperial lord) hakama trousers done in a silk brocade featuring long tailed birds and flower blossoms; the me-bina (imperial lady) with obi tie belt of a blue silk brocade coordinating with her inner kimono which matches that of the o-bina (imperial lord); and he wearing a kanmuri court cap formed as part of his head. The set is complete with kiri (paulownia) wood storage box and silk wrapping cloth. 15-1/2" and 11", Edo Period, Late 18th century. Exhibited Mingei International Museum (2005). Published Ningyo: The Art of the Japanese Doll, p. 92. Pines draped with wisteria was a popular design motif during the Edo Period, seen as a union of male (pine) with female (wisteria) and symbolic of love and marital bliss. It was a particularly popular motif for tachi-bina beginning in the 18th century. Given the lack of incised groves along the hairline and the formed cap it is likely that neither of these dolls ever had attached silk or human hair, but hair effect was achieved through simple black painting.