Shunga Ningyo of Townsfolk Lovers, Painted Clay Seated Couple in Kimono with Concealed Underside
Shunga Ningyo of Townsfolk Lovers, Painted Clay Seated Couple in Kimono with Concealed Underside
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- États-Unis · 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 $35, 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 7.8 of 10 ·
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 16.0 cm | 6.3 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
Very Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
An Embrace Among the Townsfolk
A townsman with a shaved crown and his companion in a red robe scattered with plum blossom sit close, cheek to cheek, eyes half closed. From the front it is a tender genre figure in the Hakata manner; beneath the robes the doll keeps the private scene that makes it a shunga ningyo.
Best for: Collectors of shunga ningyo and Hakata-style genre figures
Condition notes
Uncleaned, kept as found to protect the colours. Rubbing, small scratches, soiling and some colour loss from age and storage; a chip and crack to the man's white tabi foot, shown in the photographs.
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
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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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An Edo townsman and his companion sit cheek to cheek in an embrace, robed in moss green and plum-blossom red: a shunga ningyo whose private scene lies beneath the kimono.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
Shunga ningyo, erotic dolls, share the play and secrecy of hidden-scene netsuke. Seen from the front, this one is a gentle genre figure: a townsman with a shaved crown and neat topknot, his arm around a woman whose hair is dressed in the shimada style with a comb and pins, her face whitened, her eyes half closed.
The modelling and the soft painted surface recall the genre figures of Hakata, with fine brushwork in the plum blossoms of her red kimono, the flowered green collar and the gold underrobe spilling over her knees. Beneath the robes, the couple's private scene is modelled.
Details
- Subject: A townsman and his companion seated in an embrace (shisei no danjo)
- Genre: Shunga ningyo, with a concealed scene beneath
- Material: Painted clay, as it appears; not specified in the record
- Height: About 16 cm (6.3 in), read from the scale photograph
- Width: Being confirmed against our archive records
- Maker: Unsigned; maker not recorded
- Date: Undated
- Made in: Japan
Please allow a gentle margin of about 1 cm (0.4 in); write to the Desk for exact measurements.
Condition
- Rubbing, small scratches, soiling and some fading from age and storage.
- A chip and a crack to the man's white tabi foot.
- Uncleaned and kept as found.
Condition grade B (very good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as a vintage Japanese shunga ningyo; the maker, date and material are not recorded. Keep away from damp and do not wash the painted surface.
Delivery from Japan
The figure is wrapped in acid-free tissue, cushioned and double-boxed as fragile, 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 and figures.
Concierge
Searching for a signed Hakata master's figure, or a companion piece? 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: shunga ningyo · Hakata style lovers figure · hidden scene Japanese doll
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