Lot details Japan, 19th century Finely carved and decorated in creamy white and polychrome pigments over wood to depict a gaunt, emaciated woman with heavy-lidded eyes and slender red lips, the eyes and mouth pierced, the back with the signature within a recessed reserve reading Kurozuru 黒鶴. HEIGHT 20 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, a small age crack to the chin, minor flaking to lacquer around the edges. Provenance: From a French private collection. Kurozuru 黒鶴 literally means ‘Black Crane’. This name is likely based on Shakuzuru (‘Red Crane’), a master Noh mask carver from the Nanbokuchu period (14th century). Japanese Noh theater is magnificent and rarefied – a living Buddhist performance art more than 700 years old with roots and formal elements much older. In the 14th century, the performer-playwright and head of a performing clan family Kan’ami Kiyotsugu (1333-84) wrote the play Motomezuka (“The Sought-for Grave”), which tells the plight of a maiden who committed suicide after two young men killed each other when fighting over her. Kan’ami’s son, Zeami Motokiyo (c. 1363–c. 1443), further refined both the artistic and spiritual qualities of the play. Yase-onna represents the suffering spirit of a woman who dies from a problematic love relationship and is associated with the character Unai in Act Two of Motomezuka. Literature comparison: Compare a related Noh mask of Yase-onna, dated circa 19th century, illustrated in Nakanishi, Toru (1960) Noh Masks. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Noh mask of Ko-omote with similar features, also dated 19th century, at Lempertz, Asian Art, 5 June 2015, Cologne, lot 800 (sold for 23,560 EUR).
Lot details Japan, 19th century Finely carved and decorated in creamy white and polychrome pigments over wood to depict a gaunt, emaciated woman with heavy-lidded eyes and slender red lips, the eyes and mouth pierced, the back with the signature within a recessed reserve reading Kurozuru 黒鶴. HEIGHT 20 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, a small age crack to the chin, minor flaking to lacquer around the edges. Provenance: From a French private collection. Kurozuru 黒鶴 literally means ‘Black Crane’. This name is likely based on Shakuzuru (‘Red Crane’), a master Noh mask carver from the Nanbokuchu period (14th century). Japanese Noh theater is magnificent and rarefied – a living Buddhist performance art more than 700 years old with roots and formal elements much older. In the 14th century, the performer-playwright and head of a performing clan family Kan’ami Kiyotsugu (1333-84) wrote the play Motomezuka (“The Sought-for Grave”), which tells the plight of a maiden who committed suicide after two young men killed each other when fighting over her. Kan’ami’s son, Zeami Motokiyo (c. 1363–c. 1443), further refined both the artistic and spiritual qualities of the play. Yase-onna represents the suffering spirit of a woman who dies from a problematic love relationship and is associated with the character Unai in Act Two of Motomezuka. Literature comparison: Compare a related Noh mask of Yase-onna, dated circa 19th century, illustrated in Nakanishi, Toru (1960) Noh Masks. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Noh mask of Ko-omote with similar features, also dated 19th century, at Lempertz, Asian Art, 5 June 2015, Cologne, lot 800 (sold for 23,560 EUR).
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
