Court Lady

Court Lady

This is a large-scale piece rare even in the sublime era of ivory carving in Meiji, by joining many pieces of ivory. Although the folds of the ceremonial kimono attire with twelve layers of a Japanese court lady are expressed in minute relief, and a cypress fan, a mirror, hair etc. are carved extremely realistically and elaborately, the classical female statue with grace and good-balance is expressed nobly without vain eccentricity. It is the best masterpiece of the artist who kept pursuing the possibility of ivory carving based on western scientific realism. （「New Edition　Grace, Beauty and Inqenuity-Masterpices of the Museum of Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan　Vol.2」2003）