Japanese Superb Pair Imperial Princess & Prince Dolls, Edo period, 1840
$2,400.00
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From our recent Japanese Acquisitions Travels.
A rare couple- a princess and prince from ancient times.
We were lucky to meet a wonderful elderly lady who had been collecting Japanese dolls for several decades. This pair of dolls were the pride and joy of her collection. She was compassionate about her dolls but sadly had to sell them as she down sized her life style. Please enjoy these photos.
These Japanese Imperial dolls dating to the Edo period about 1840 are superb quality examples that would be hard to surpass in size and quality. They symbolize ancient Heian period ideals from the 8th-11th centuries of rich decor, fabrics, and facial features. Their beautiful faces were crafted from crushed shell called gofun and coated over carved wood and their dress feature authentic period Edo 1840 textile kimono dress. The Princess figure is replete with finely worked metal headdress- a feature you rarely find today since this accouterments was often lost to the ages.
Dimensions: tallest princess is 18 inches tall and 14 inches wide
Age: Edo Period, circa 1840.
Quality: superb condition with mild use appropriate to their good age.
Provenance: these come from a Kyoto private doll collection
About beauty and fashion during the Heian period:
Beauty and fashion during the Heian Period was extremely important. The Japanese people treasured elegance and manners, and looking good was essential to their life. Japanese who came from important families had to look the part since beauty was valued over more important traits like honesty and even generosity.
Heian woman’s clothing was elaborate and beautiful. A woman might wear as many as 10-15 items of clothing at the same time. In order for people to notice her while she would be riding in her carriage, a woman might dangle her arm out the window so people would see the beautiful colors of her clothing. Women also used white face powder to make them selves look very pale, they plucked all of their eyebrow hairs out and then painted them higher on their heads, and they painted small amounts of red on their cheeks. This face powder “look” is represented by crushed white shell or Gofun used by early doll makers to coat the carved wooden heads and faces of their dolls. Kinran fabrics of the period sumptuously finished a woman’s or man’s wardrobe.
An elegant pair of Princess and Prince.
Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity. All our Asian works of art are accompanied by our lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
Our gallery based in Shelburne, Vermont USA has been dealing in authentic Japanese , Chinese, and fine Asian art, garden ornaments, lanterns and water basins for 25 years. The president personally travels to China, Japan and Europe each year to meet his network partners who assist him in finding best examples. He personally inspects each antique work of art to ensure its old age, authenticity and quality condition.
We are members of the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) specializing for ten years now in old and authentic Japanese stone garden ornaments.
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