132 - Okimono of a male character with a book, Japan, 19th century

Okimono of a male character with a book, Japan, 19th century Carved ivory sculpture. Measures 13 cm. Traditional okimono depicting a standing male figure, dressed in a kimono with ample folds decorated with delicate engraved plant motifs. The figure holds a book in his right hand, an attribute associated with knowledge, education, and Japanese intellectual tradition. The face displays a calm and focused expression, with softly modeled features and a careful transition between planes. The treatment of the drapery reveals remarkable technical mastery, with flowing folds that lend movement and naturalism to the composition. The ivory surface exhibits a golden patina characteristic of antiquity. Stylistically, the work is situated at the transition between the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji era, a time when okimono achieved a remarkable formal quality as decorative objects intended for collectors.