Passed
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Description
26" (66 cm.) Overall. 13" doll including hat. Marvelously sculpted seated gosho with right leg forward and left leg tucked behind, carved of wood and covered overall in a fine white gofun with painted details, happy expression, open mouth, silk fiber hair, wearing a chirimen silk crepe bib with densely embroidered flower designs with gold-wrapped thread accents, and a fine lacquered paper Chinese-style cap. He is holding in his extended left hand a finely formed wooden buriburi-gitcho wheeled toy covered in gofun with gold and painted details and pulling tether of silk crepe passing through his right hand, and is seated atop a tall wheeled yama festival cart with a Chinese style throne back, railings and a purple silk zabuton cushion. Old repairs, minor craquelure, silk cord replaced. Late Edo Period, Mid 19th century. Published in Japanese Dolls: The Fascinating World of Ningyo, p. 110. Gosho-ningyo were considered display objects as well as auspicious gifts. Frequently they were given grand accessories and set-like elements for display. Here this doll is seated on a lavish cart of which a similar example is in the Kyoto National Museum collection and is holding a buriburi-gitcho toy. The toy was popular at New Year's, the carts were attached to a cord and children would run through the streets dragging the toy behind. Given its popularity it was also translated as a refined goten-gangu (palace toy) and given gofun, painted and gold lacquer treatments.