Ceramic Hotei Figure in Red Robe with a Concealed Shunga Scene Underneath, Painted Okimono
Ceramic Hotei Figure in Red Robe with a Concealed Shunga Scene Underneath, Painted Okimono
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- United States · 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 $21, 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 6.6 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 |
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 Lucky God Turns Over
A broad, smiling Hotei reclines on his sack, eyes half closed in perfect contentment. Beneath him the base is hollowed like a shell and modelled with a pair of lovers, the old folk joke of a god of fortune with a private second face.
Best for: Collectors of Japanese okimono, Seven Lucky Gods and hidden shunga objects
Condition notes
Fine scratches, marks and soiling overall, as described. Paint wear and flaking to the white rim of the hollow beneath and to the sack; small losses on the robe.
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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A reclining Hotei in painted ceramic, wrapped in a red robe over sage green trousers, who turns over to show a pair of lovers modelled in the hollow of his base.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
Hotei, the round-bellied monk among the Seven Lucky Gods, is the patron of contentment and plenty. This figure shows him at his most relaxed: leaning back against his white cloth sack, legs crossed, belly bare and face lifted in a sleepy smile. The robe is a warm brick red edged in white, the trousers sage green painted with white cloud scrolls, and the skin left a deep brown with touches of painted hair on the chest and chin.
Turned over, the figure reveals its purpose. The base is hollowed like an open shell and modelled inside with a couple embracing, she with a dressed coiffure and red hair ornament, he with a shaven pate and topknot. The hidden picture, ura-e, is one of the oldest jokes in Japanese erotic art: a figure of good fortune with a second, private scene beneath, kept for luck and shared with a knowing smile.
Details
- Subject: Hotei, one of the Seven Lucky Gods, with his sack
- Form: Reclining okimono with a concealed scene in the base
- Material: Painted ceramic, as described
- Width: About 18 cm (7.1 in), read against a rule in photography
- Height and depth: Being confirmed against our archive records; please write to the Desk
- Maker: Unsigned; no maker or date is claimed
- Made in: Japan
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 cm (0.4 in).
Condition
- Fine scratches, marks and soiling overall, consistent with age and handling.
- Paint wear and flaking on the white rim of the hollow beneath and on the sack, with small losses to the robe; every photograph is part of the description.
Condition grade C (good, visible wear) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as a painted ceramic folk figure; unsigned and undated, and no maker or age is claimed. Keep dry and handle by the body rather than the raised hand.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped by hand in Japan, double boxed with generous cushioning, and 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
Searching for other lucky gods or okimono with hidden scenes? 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: Hotei hidden shunga okimono · ceramic lucky god ura-e · Seven Lucky Gods erotic figure
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