Japanese Ceramic Hakata Ningyo Doll, Shunga Art Statue of Lovers at a Kotatsu, Hidden Underside Scene, in Red Lacquered Crest Chest
Japanese Ceramic Hakata Ningyo Doll, Shunga Art Statue of Lovers at a Kotatsu, Hidden Underside Scene, in Red Lacquered Crest Chest
- 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 $73, 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 7.4 of 10 ·
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 10.5 cm | 4.1 in |
| Height | 6.5 cm | 2.6 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
Excellent
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
What the Quilt Conceals
Two figures doze over a kotatsu, one with a book still open under her hand, the quilt drawn up as on any winter night. Turn the figure over and the quilt gives way to the scene it hid, the oldest joke of the hidden-picture tradition, told here in painted clay.
Best for: Collectors of Hakata ningyo and concealed-scene shunga figures
Condition notes
No notable damage is described. Light fading and small rubs to the paint from age, as seen in the photographs. The chest shows light wear to the lacquer and the brass.
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 painted Hakata clay figure of two townsfolk asleep at a kotatsu, whose underside reveals the scene the quilt conceals, kept in a red lacquered chest.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
Hakata ningyo, the fired and painted clay figures of Fukuoka, are best known for their gentle beauties and kabuki actors, but the workshops also made a private line of okimono with a concealed scene, the sculptural cousin of the kakushi-e, the hidden picture. This one shows a winter evening in Edo: two figures in patterned robes doze over a kotatsu, the quilted foot warmer of the Japanese home, one with a book open beneath her hand. Seen from the side it is a domestic genre piece. Turned over, the purple quilt gives way to the lovers beneath it, a joke that depends on the viewer lifting the figure.
The figure travels in a small red lacquered chest in the form of a tansu, with brass corner mounts, a hasp, a mirror inside the lid and a brass three-leaf hollyhock crest on top, a motif long associated with the Tokugawa house.
Details
- Type: Hakata ningyo okimono with a concealed underside scene
- Material: Painted fired clay
- Figure size: About 10.5 x 8 x 6.5 cm high (4.1 x 3.1 x 2.6 in)
- Chest: Red lacquered wood with brass mounts and a mirror; about 15 x 11.5 x 10.5 cm high (5.9 x 4.5 x 4.1 in)
- Maker: Not recorded
- Period: Vintage, undated
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 0.5 cm (0.2 in).
Condition
- No notable damage is described.
- Light fading and small rubs to the paint from age, as seen in the photographs.
- Light wear to the lacquer and brass of the chest.
- The soft blur on the underside photograph was applied for discretion and is not on the figure.
Condition grade A (excellent) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as a Hakata ningyo; the maker and date are not recorded. Keep dry and handle the painted surface lightly.
Delivery from Japan
The figure is wrapped in tissue inside its chest, boxed with padding and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent service. Any import duties 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
Seeking another concealed-scene figure? Our Hunting Salon™ locates, inspects and delivers such pieces from Japan's private collections. Begin a Hunting Salon™ request.
Collectors also search: Hakata ningyo shunga figure · hidden scene okimono · kotatsu lovers figure
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