Tokonoma Sculpture of Hotei, God of Happiness and Good Fortune
1793
Wood with gesso and pigment, inlaid glass eyes
25 in wide x 16 high x 16.5 inches deep
With extensive inscription on bottom, bearing the signature of the carver Seiyodo Tomiharu, founder of the Iwami school of Netsuke carvers.
The epitome of female beauty from the Heian period, 9th to 12th century, the type was adopted into the Noh theatre repertoire as a young female portrayed in a number of Noh dramas such as KOCHO, the Butterfly. In the play, an itinerant monk encounters a young beauty who laments she cannot experience plum blossoms since they flower in early spring before she metamorphoses into a butterfly. Of course, this is all a dream. The young woman is actually the spirit of a butterfly who is appearing to the monk in a dream.
Ko-Omote is a face recognizable to many people, like Mona Lisa by Leonardo, or the Egyptian Nefertiti bust in Berlin, or Botticelli’s Venus, or Elizabeth Taylor, the actress, or even Barbie. The mask was purchased in Kyoto in 1972 and remained in a collection until recently dispersed. Its carving is excellent, infused with beauty and spirit, and the painting precise and artful. The worn paper label is being translated and may reveal who carved it.
What’s in a Title: Japanese Works of Art from Ancient to Modern
March 13 – 21, 2025
Opening Receptions: Thursday, March 13 & Friday, March 14, 2025 from 5-7pm (both evenings)
Exhibiting at: John Molloy Gallery, 49 East 78 Street, Suite 2B
Asia Week Hours: Mar 13-14, 2-7pm & 15-21, 11am-5pm (otherwise by appointment)
Further details forthcoming soon.
About the Gallery
A long standing private dealer in Japanese and Asian Arts, Carole has been conveniently located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each year she mounts public shows, usually at public galleries and the Park Ave Armory. Current venues have included the Salon Fair at the Armory as well as the John Molloy Gallery on East 78th Street where 2025 Asia Week New York will be held. Trained in Fine Arts and Art History, objects in all media, from Contemporary and Ancient, are researched and tested if necessary. Aesthetics, provenance and authenticity are keywords to her purchase of an art object. An original member of Asia Week New York, she is invigorated and pleased to rejoin the organization after the Covid epidemic. Everyone is welcome.
