Netsuke: "no"- mask, probably "shunkan" type · Japon · ID: 3039286
Vendu
200 €
Provenance
German Private CollectionDescription
wood (boxtree?), suffering facial expression, haggard face with sunken cheeks and with the corners of the mouth pulled downwards, incised signature on the backside, beautiful used patina;
this mask type was used in the “no” theatre play “shunkan”. He was a buddhist priest who was accused of being the mastermind of a plot against the ruling Taira clan in the middle of the 12th century. Banished to a deserted island, he became deeply depressed and starved to death.
Littérature comparée
Bushell, Raymond, Netsuke Masks, Tokyo, New York, San Francisco 1985, pl. 84