TAKAMURA Koun WOOD CARVING OF KANNON with a base marked on the bottom "髙邨光雲刀" h40.3×w12.8 cm 1915

Estimate 4 000 000 - 6 000 000 JPY

Starting price 4 000 000 JPY

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hyogo, Japan

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A RARE STANDING WOOD FIGURE OF JIUCHIMEN KANNON, LATE MUROMACHI TO EARLY EDO A RARE STANDING WOOD FIGURE OF JIUCHIMEN KANNON, LATE MUROMACHI TO EARLY EDO Japan, 16th-17th century, late Muromachi (1336-1573) to early Edo period (1615-1868) The eleven-headed Kannon (Ekadashamukha Avalokiteshvara) carved standing in samabhanga on a separate double lotus base with a beaded rim, dressed in flowing robes open at the chest and draping across both shoulders, one hand clasped around a long neck vase, holding the nectar of Kannon’s compassion, the other outstretched, the face with a serene expression and painted eyes, the rock crystal urna below a diadem framing the coiffure, the topknot fronted by the face of Amida Nyorai, and further heads bearing a range of expressions. HEIGHT 55.5 cm (the figure) and 67.5 cm (total) Condition: Good condition with wear, age cracks, losses, repairs and touchups. Overall presenting very well. Provenance: From a New England private collection. Juichimen Kannon (lit. ‘eleven-headed Kannon’), is an important bodhisattva in the esoteric schools of Buddhism. Atop the deity’s own head are eleven additional heads. Ten of these take the form of bodhisattvas and represent the ten stages toward enlightenment. The topmost head is that of Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha), the Buddha from whom Kannon emanates. Auction comparison: Compare a related, yet significantly larger figure of Seishi Bosatsu, bearing similar features, also dated 16 th-17 th century, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 2 December 2022, Vienna, lot 34 ( sold for EUR 52,000). Also compare to a related figure of Kannon Bosatsu, dated to the 17 th-18 th century, at Zacke, Fine Japanese Art, 16 June 2023, Vienna, lot 60 ( sold for EUR 10,400).

Lot 67

Estim. 600 - 1 200 JPY

TAKAMURA KOUN: A FINE BRONZE FIGURE OF PRINCE SHOTOKU TAKAMURA KOUN: A FINE BRONZE FIGURE OF PRINCE SHOTOKU By Takamura Koun (1852-1934), sealed Takamura Koun Japan, early 20th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) to Taisho period (1912-1926) Finely cast as Prince Shotoku dressed in monastic robes, holding a handled censer decorated with two shishi, the hair parted down the middle and tied on both sides with a bow, the reverse with the artist’s seal TAKAMURA KOUN. HEIGHT 21.2 cm WEIGHT 1,182 g Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few small nicks, light surface scratches, and minor casting irregularities. A key figure in the development of Japanese sculpture in the later Meiji, Taisho and early Showa eras, Takamura Koun started his career as a specialist carver of Buddhist images and came to international attention in 1877 when he showed a sandalwood figure of the White-robed Kannon at the first Naikoku Kangyo Hakurankai (Domestic Industrial Exhibition). The figure was purchased by a Yokohama merchant for a high price and from that time on Koun increasingly produced work in a style designed to suit changing tastes in Japan and overseas, participating in foreign expositions and receiving many important official commissions. His most famous works are public statues of Kusunoki Masashige, outside the Imperial Palace, and of Saigo Takamori, at the entrance to Ueno Park. In October 1890 he became one of the first two sculptors to be appointed Teishitsu Gigeiin (Artist to the Imperial Household). For a more detailed assessment of Koun's well documented career, see Christine M. E. Guth, 'Takamura Koun and Takamura Kotaro: On Being a Sculptor', in Melinda Takeuchi ed., The Artist as Professional in Japan, Stanford, 2004, pp.152-179. Prince Shotoku (574–622), nephew of Empress Suiko (554–628), served as her regent and adviser on matters of civil administration. Reputed to be a great Buddhist scholar and influential statesman, he sent an official diplomatic delegation to China and, in 592, compiled the Seventeen Article Constitution, Japan’s earliest code of conduct for the ruling class. Sources indicate that the Imperial family initiated the veneration of Shotoku. At first deified as a Shinto kami, by the medieval period the prince came to be seen as a manifestation of a Buddhist deity. Here, he is portrayed as a paragon of filial piety, holding a handled censer and praying for the recovery of his father, Emperor Yomei, from illness. Auction comparison: Compare a related bronze figure of Laozi by the same artist, dated early 20 th century, at Christie’s, Japanese and Korean Art, 18 March 2014, New York, lot 545 (sold for USD 3,250).

Lot 69

Estim. 700 - 1 400 JPY

A LACQUERED WOOD ZUSHI (PORTABLE SHRINE) CONTAINING A GILT WOOD FIGURE OF KANNON A LACQUERED WOOD ZUSHI (PORTABLE SHRINE) CONTAINING A GILT WOOD FIGURE OF KANNON Japan, Edo period (1615-1868) The slender shrine of roiro with hinged doors and metal fittings with floral designs, containing a finely carved sculpture of Kannon standing atop a lotus dais fitted to a separately carved rocky base above a rectangular plinth. The figure itself of gilt wood and backed by a separate halo, with many details in metal. HEIGHT 41.6 cm WEIGHT 984 g Condition: Good condition with some wear, flaking to the lacquer, natural age cracks, touchups, and repairs. Export permit: An export permit from the Department of cultural heritage at the ministry of culture, Lithuania, dated 29 August 2023, signed, no. CC 003672 accompanies this lot. Enshrined in this traveling shrine is Kannon, a Bodhisattva of supreme compassion. Veneration of Kannon in Japan began in the late 6th century, soon after Buddhism reached Japan by way of Korea and China. Numerous historical figures are considered emanations of Kannon, including Prince Shotoku Taishi (Japan’s first great patron of Buddhism), Daruma (the founder of Zen Buddhism), and Chujo Hime (a Buddhist nun regarded as one of Japan’s greatest early embroidery artists). Originally male in form, Kannon is now often portrayed as female in China, Japan, and other East Asian countries. Auction comparison: Type: Related Auction: Galerie Zacke Vienna, 1 December 2023, lot 326 Price: EUR 3,900 or approx. EUR 4,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A large lacquered wood zushi (portable shrine) containing a gilt wood figure of Kannon Bosatsu Expert remark: Compare the related motif and decorations. Note the larger size (66.7 cm)

Lot 182

Estim. 80 - 120 JPY

TAKAMURA Koun WOOD CARVING OF KANNON with a base marked on the bottom "髙邨光雲刀" h40.3×w12.8 cm 1915

TAKAMURA Koun WOOD CARVING OF KANNON with a base marked on the bottom "髙邨光雲刀" h40.3×w12.8 cm 1915

JAPAN XXth SATSUMA glazed earthenware amphora vase with kannon and geometric motifs painted in relief, the neck flanked by handles. H. 63 cm (chips).

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