Daruma Figure Made of Bizen Ware with Averted Gaze
Sold – no longer available
This piece was a handmade one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.
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Details about the sold piece
- Height 32 cm
- Width 14 cm
- Weight 2210 g
- Color Brown
- Item Type Figure
- Material Ceramics
- Period of Creation Meiji (1868–1912)
- Style / Tradition Bizen-yaki
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
The gaze of this Bodhidharma figure is turned slightly to the side, the forehead set in deep furrows – an expression that oscillates between watchfulness and quiet melancholy and hardly allows the viewer a definitive interpretation. The arms rest loosely crossed on the drawn-up knee, a relaxed yet concentrated sitting posture typical of depictions of the Zen patriarch.
Particularly noteworthy is the careful rendering of the robe, whose folds flow across the body of the figure in bold, clear lines, lending additional plasticity to the unglazed Bizen ware. The surface bears a beautifully, evenly matured aged patina in warm red and brown tones, characteristic of the traditional firing technique of this region, giving the piece its earthy depth.
The figure dates from the Meiji period and is a handcrafted one-of-a-kind piece without counterpart. With its calm, melancholic facial expression and richly detailed rendering of the robe, it ranks among the most atmospherically dense interpretations of the Bodhidharma motif in Bizen ware and is an impressive testament to Japanese ceramic art of that period.
