FIGURE OF A WESTERN LADY Japanese, circa 1860 Wood and ivory, H. 6 inches
HIS wonderful little carving can be seen as a three dimensional equivalent of popular Japanese prints of Western ladies of the period. Deftly sculpted out of a single piece of wood, the base retains its original bark covering. The artist, in depicting his alien subject, focused on the lady's curiously exaggerated grin, her elaborate coiffure, and the ivory-buttoned bonnet she holds. This figure clearly expresses the puzzled fascination of the Japanese towards the exotic Europeans who were so suddenly in their midst. SOLD
HIS wonderful little carving can be seen as a three dimensional equivalent of popular Japanese prints of Western ladies of the period. Deftly sculpted out of a single piece of wood, the base retains its original bark covering. The artist, in depicting his alien subject, focused on the lady's curiously exaggerated grin, her elaborate coiffure, and the ivory-buttoned bonnet she holds. This figure clearly expresses the puzzled fascination of the Japanese towards the exotic Europeans who were so suddenly in their midst. 