JAPANESE AND KOREAN ART 23 march 2022

710
710
A PAIR OF SHISHI (LIONS)
Kamakura period (1185-1333), early 14th century
Each carved and assembled from cypress, with curly manes and tails
and well-defined musculature, one with its mouth open uttering the
syllable a and the other with its mouth closed uttering the syllable un,
the eyes inlaid in copper, with traces of gesso and pigment
19 3/8in (49.2cm) high, the larger
$7,000 - 9,000
711
A WOOD FIGURE OF PRINCE SHOTOKU AT AGE TWO
Muromachi period (1333-1573), 15th/16th century
The figure standing in typical pose, his face looking older than his age,
evidence of his worldly wisdom, his palms pressed together in prayer
before his chest, his feet concealed within the ends of his red hakama;
the figure of a two-piece construction in the uchiguri technique
19 3/4in (50.2cm) high
$3,000 - 5,000
711
Prince Shotoku, or Shotoku Taishi (574-622), was a Japanese
historical figure and imperial regent credited with the dissemination
of Buddhism in Japan. A similar, but slightly older example is in the
collection of the Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum,
partial and promised gift of Walter C. Sedgwick in memory of Ellery
Sedgwick Sr. and Ellery Sedgwick Jr., 2019.122. Both figures portray
Shotoku as a toddler at the moment when, according to legend, he
turned east, joined his hands in prayer, and chanted the name of the
Buddha, resulting in the manifestation of a religious relic.
104 | BONHAMS