Doll

Doll

Doll A: Separate head molded from wood paste and dipped in gofun (oyster shell powder). Painted features and inset glass eyes slightly smiling mouth nose and lips are badly worn. Black hair in long tufts on each side of the head and tied with a string. B: Body of figure standing with arms raised to either side of head. The hands and feet are wood dipped in gofun. The right hand is carved in a shape that suggests the thumb and forefinger are touching to hold something in the hand. Wearing long sleeved kimono (Hirosode) of blue brocade faded to brown in front and bright blue in back with pattern of rose mallow embroidered in yellow. The robe meets in front? And is tied in the middle with a cream colored tie and hanging from the tied are two strips of stiff orange paper covered by orangey red damask silk and also hanging down are natural bast fiber strips. The long robe and inner sleeves are made of the same orangey red damask as the tie with a Buddhist cross or eternal knot design. Underneath the silk is the same stiff paper as in the sashes. Orange silk also lines the inside edges of the blue and yellow silk sleeves. Faded green silk representing the second inner robe shows at the wrists and at the collar. Several threads grouped together and hanging from the sleeve bottoms are used to sew shut the detatched sleeves. There are four more collars which are of cream silk. At the bottom of the orange robe the corners turn up revealing a cream silk lining. The stiff paper lining is stuffed with straw and gives shape to the sleeves and upturned corners of the robe.

1993.004.095