A FINE WOOD FIGURE OF PRINCE SHOTOKU TAISHI ON HORSEBACK, 19TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A FINE WOOD FIGURE OF PRINCE SHOTOKU TAISHI ON HORSEBACK, 19TH CENTURY Japan, 19th century, late Edo (1615-1868) to Meiji period (1868-1912) The young prince seated atop his magical black horse, Kurokoma, that could fly, allowing him to ascend Mount Fuji. Shotoku dressed in voluminous robes with scrolling clouds in gilt, the sleeves billowing in the wind as he holds his hands close to the chest, clutching the reins taut. The caparisoned mount with a saddle similarly decorated with gilt highlights, all raised above a rectangular plinth shaped like craggy rocks. HEIGHT 9.7 cm Prince Shotoku (574–622), also known as Shotoku Taishi, was the nephew of Empress Suiko (554–628), a Japanese historical figure and imperial regent credited with the dissemination of Buddhism in Japan. The Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku is a national treasure that once adorned the Hall of Paintings of Horyu-ji Temple in Nara. It was painted in 1069, almost one thousand years ago, based on the legends surrounding the life of Prince Shōtoku. The expansive painting features many miracles attributed to Prince Shotoku, from his birth in a stable to his ascent to the peak of Mt Fuji on flying horseback. See "Shotoku Taishi on Horseback" from Shotoku Taishi Eden (An Illustrated History of Prince Shotoku), dated to the 14th century, at the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1962.8.

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