ARTICULATED TOY - Kobe, Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) circa 1900

ARTICULATED TOY

Kobe, Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912) circa 1900

wood and bone

H.: 10; L.: 6 cm

Toy representing a waiter or a man eating in carved and articulated wood. He is dressed in a kimono and carries a dish and a bottle in each of his hands, his eyes are two small inlaid bone beads, the lower part of his body is included in a wooden base with two-tone checkerboard marquetry. A pan is equipped with a wheel allowing the animation of the figurine. Thus, his arms, his head and his mouth are articulated.

This automaton refers to the popular art of the city of Kobe.

Text and photos © FCP CORIDON

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