Page 71 - Bonhams Auction NYC Japanese and Korean Art March 15, 2017

6154
A STANDING WOOD FIGURE OF THE BODHISATTVA JIZO
Heian (794–1185) or Kamakura (1185-1333) period, 12th century
Mostly carved from a single block of wood, the bald-headed
compassionate bodhisattva, patron of children, women, and travelers,
represented as a young monk with a shaven head, standing in his
typical pose, the right hand holding a shakujo (priest's staff, a later
replacement), the left hand extended and originally holding a hoju
(wish-granting jewel), traces of red and black pigment remaining
especially on the front of the robes along with a suggestion of gold
designs over lacquer that are now essentially lost; with modern black-
painted stand
19 7/8in (50.4cm) high
US$25,000 - 35,000
Published
Stephen Addiss, Michael G. Cunningham and others, A Myriad
of Autumn Leaves: Japanese Art from the Kurt and Millie Gitter
Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art 1983, cat. no. 106
The mostly single-block construction of this delicately executed figure
with traces of lavish decoration suggest that it was likely carved in
the twelfth century, probably in present-day Shiga or Mie Prefecture.
Its diminutive size suggest that it may once have graced a private
aristocratic chapel rather than a temple sanctuary.

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