A polychromed wood figure of a fisherman. Second half 19th century - image-1

Lot 313 Dα

A polychromed wood figure of a fisherman. Second half 19th century

Auction 1092 - overview Cologne
09.06.2017, 11:00 - Indian, Southeast Asian and Japanese Art
Estimate: 4.000 € - 5.000 €
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A polychromed wood figure of a fisherman. Second half 19th century

A polychromed wood figure of a fisherman standing wearing short pants and holding a rope, short stubby beard of short hairs, the long hair of the head tied at the back, the eyes of glass. Small retouched areas. Mounted on a footed stand. Second half 19th century.
Height with stand 47 cm

These highly realistic representations of life-size figures are called iki-ningyo - living dolls. Initially these types of figures were presented in the 1870s at the temporary misemono exhibitions held in temple compounds such as the Asakusa Sensôji in Tokyo. Later they were manufactured for export to the West and were collected by museums in Europe and the US. Smaller models were sold as souvenirs to travellers, for instance by Deakin Brothers & Co., in Yokohama.