Kimekomi Sosaku Ningyo entitled “Shirabe” (Melody) by Okamoto Gyokusui IV (1898-1972), a finely rendered figure of carved wood with applied textiles in the kimekomi technique, depicting a kneeling musician with a tsutsumi shoulder drum, wearing a zukin silk cap, face of wood covered in gofun with painted details, original box with artist name inscribed on inside of lid, additional artist plaque, rich silk and silk crepe textiles, with dramatic wave pattern on lower hem, raised gold appliqué kiri paulownia crest on sleeves, Gyokusui was a founding member of the Hakutakukai and a seminal player in the development of the Japanese sosaku art doll movement of the late 1920s and 1930s. Excellent condition.
