149 - TESSAI: A FINE CARVED AND POLYCHROME-PAINTED HINOKI WOOD BUNKO (DOCUMENT BOX) WITH BUGAKU AND GIGAKU MASKS

TESSAI: A FINE CARVED AND POLYCHROME-PAINTED HINOKI WOOD BUNKO (DOCUMENT BOX) WITH BUGAKU AND GIGAKU MASKS By Kano Tessai (1845-1925), signed Tessai Dosha with kakihan Japan, Nara, dated autumn of 1914, Taisho period (1912-1926) Of rectangular form, finely fashioned from beautifully grained hinoki wood, the inrobuta (flush-fitting) cover and sides richly decorated with an array of ancient Bugaku and Gigaku masks, finely carved in relief and heightened with polychrome pigments. Each mask is rendered with remarkable individuality, displaying dramatically expressive and grotesque countenances, with bulging eyes, deeply furrowed brows, prominent noses, and exaggerated mouths, the intricate facial features accentuated by delicately applied colors. The cover is further embellished with lengthy inscriptions in flowing calligraphy. The underside of the cover is decorated with two additional masks, one of Ranryo-o type. Signed TESSAI DOSHA with the artist’s typical kakihan. Inscription: To the cover inscribed ‘Yamato no kuni Yoshinoyama Zao-do jumotsu, bu-gigaku-men junana-shu no uchi, Karurao-men, Nasori-men, hoka sushu. Kinoe-tora no aki no hi, Nanto Shonami-in, nanso ka, Yuiga-dokuson-an shu, Tessai Dosha shirusu. Kao,’ 大和國　吉野山　蔵王堂　什物　舞伎楽面　十七種之内　迦楼羅王面　納曽利面　他数種。甲寅秋日　南都　勝南院　南窓下、唯我独尊庵主、銕哉道者識　花押。, [In the Province of Yamato, at Mount Yoshino, among the treasures of Zao Hall are seventeen varieties of Bugaku and Gigaku masks, including the mask of Karura-o (the Garuda King), the mask of Nasori, and several other types. On an autumn day in the year of the Wood Tiger (kinoe-tora, Taisho 3, 1914), beneath the south-facing window at Shonami-in, Nanto (Nara). Inscribed by Tessai Dosha, master of the hermitage Yuiga-dokuson-an, with kakihan]. SIZE 16.5 x 45 x 33 cm Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and natural imperfections to the wood, a tiny age crack to one corner, and a few small areas of pigment loss, some apparently intentional. Kano Tessai (1845-1925) was born into a family of netsuke carvers in Gifu and initially entered the Buddhist priesthood before devoting himself to art. He studied painting, wood carving, and Chinese literature, and briefly taught at the Tokyo Art School. Deeply interested in early Japanese sculpture and Buddhist art, he assisted Ernest Fenollosa and Okakura Tenshin in their surveys of ancient temple treasures, eventually settling in Nara, where he devoted considerable attention to studying and reproducing historic works of art. The present box is particularly representative of Tessai's fascination with the ancient theatrical masks preserved in Japan's great Buddhist temples. Its extensive inscription identifies the subjects as belonging to seventeen varieties of Bugaku and Gigaku masks associated with the treasures of Zao Hall at Kinpusen-ji Temple on Mount Yoshino, including Karura-o, the mythical bird-like Garuda King of Gigaku theatre, and Nasori, a dramatic Bugaku dance traditionally depicting two dragons. The Zao Hall, designated a National Treasure and forming part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, enshrines three monumental statues of Zao Gongen, the principal deity of Shugendo. Tessai's meticulous study and reproduction of historic theatrical masks is further documented by related works after ancient masks from Horyu-ji Temple preserved in the Seikado Bunko Art Museum, Tokyo. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related carved and polychrome-painted hinoki wood bunko and cover by the same artist, likewise decorated with ancient Bugaku and Gigaku masks and dated spring of 1914, 16.5 x 45 x 33 cm, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 16 May 2019, London, lot 93 (mid-estimate of GBP 10,000 or approx. EUR 16,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).