Description KANO TESSAI: A CARVED LACQUER TRAY, DATED 1919
By Kano Tessai (1845-1925), signed Tessai followed by the artist’s idiosyncratic kao
Japan, Nara, dated 1919
The flat well of the tray encircled by short vertical walls and raised on a short foot, incised in relief to depict a humorous mask of a Buddhist figure used in Kyogen performances at the Mibudera temple in Kyoto, with an inscription Mibudera Dai Nenbutsu shoyo men (Mask used for the Great Nenbutsu ceremony at Mibudera) and dated Tsuchinoto-hitsuji toshi aki (autumn 1919).
DIAMETER 21.3 cm
Condition: Superb condition with only minor wear. The apparent flaking of the mask is intentional and a trademark of this artist!
Provenance: Collection of Drs. Edmund and Julie Lewis.
Mibu-dera is a Buddhist temple in Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto. In the Middle Ages, the temple revived a performance created by the Yuzu Nembutsu monk Engaku known as the Dai Nembutsu Kyogen. It is also known for having been affiliated with the Shinsengumi.