Japanese Bisque Court Lady Doll with Concealed Shunga Underside, Heian Robes and Armrest, 18 cm
Japanese Bisque Court Lady Doll with Concealed Shunga Underside, Heian Robes and Armrest, 18 cm
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- Estados Unidos · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked Check the Shipping Flowchart here
- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $32, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
With EMS, any charge is collected by your postal service on delivery. For pieces of significant value we can often arrange duties prepaid before dispatch.
How the estimate is reached · Ask for a figure on this piece
- Character
- Ornate 7.5 of 10 ·
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 18.0 cm | 7.1 in |
| Height | 11.0 cm | 4.3 in |
Every piece is measured by hand, in centimetres as Japan measures. Please allow 1–2 cm (about ½ inch) for the give of the material and the hand that held the tape.
Where each figure is taken · View the plate
Object, sculpture and ceramics
Condition report
Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
The Lady and Her Secret
She reclines against a lacquered armrest in the layered robes of the Heian court, long hair falling to her hem, every inch the heroine of a court romance. Beneath her robes the sculptor has modelled the romance itself: a couple entwined on a jade-green ground, a private joke for the owner alone.
Best for: Collectors of Japanese dolls and of concealed-scene shunga figures
Condition notes
No cracks or chips. Scuffs and light soiling across the surface consistent with age and storage.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
No se pudo cargar la disponibilidad de recogida
All sales are final. Please read our refund policy before purchase.
Considered offers only. The Desk replies personally to figures made in good faith; those set far below the asking price receive no reply.
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A court lady of the Heian age reclines against her armrest in layered white and red robes, long black hair to her hem; turn her over and a pair of lovers is modelled beneath.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
The figure is built in the manner of the Hakata doll: fired bisque clay, finely smoothed, painted by hand in matt colours with a soft white complexion. Her outer robe is white, sprinkled with red and green maple leaves; beneath it, a red robe dense with ring-dot dyeing and white peonies, a black sash and a pale green collar. She leans on a lacquered kyosoku armrest, the courtly pose of a heroine from the Tale of Genji, her face turned in quiet thought.
Underneath, the sculptor kept a second story. In the hollow of the base, framed by violet and red drapery on a jade-green ground, a man and a woman lie entwined in relief, painted with the same care as the lady above. It is the old pleasure of the concealed scene, a cousin of the warai-e prints, made for the cabinet rather than the alcove.
One photograph keeps a small paper panel laid on by the photographer for discretion; it is not part of the work.
Details
- Subject: Heian court lady at an armrest; lovers concealed beneath
- Type: Decorative doll (okimono) with a concealed scene
- Material: Bisque (fired clay), painted by hand
- Length: About 18 cm (7.1 in)
- Height: About 11 cm (4.3 in)
- Maker: Not recorded; Hakata manner by style
- Date: Undated
- Made in: Japan
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 to 2 cm (0.5 in).
Condition
- No cracks or chips.
- Scuffs and light soiling consistent with age and storage.
Condition grade C (good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as an old painted bisque doll by an unrecorded maker; the Hakata attribution is by style only, and no date is certified. Dust with a soft, dry brush; never wash painted bisque.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped in tissue and foam and boxed with padding on every side, then shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Further pieces of the kind are kept in Shunga and Hidden Arts and among our Japanese dolls.
Concierge
Collecting Hakata dolls or hidden-scene figures? Our Hunting Salon™ locates such pieces across Japan's private collector circles, then inspects, documents and delivers them to you. Begin a Hunting Salon™ request.
Collectors also search: Hakata shunga doll · concealed scene ningyo · Heian lady erotic figure
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