16th Jun, 2023 11:00
Fine Japanese Art
53
A RARE GILT AND POLYCHROME WOOD FIGURE OF IZUNA GONGEN
Sold for €3,380
including Buyer's Premium
Japan, 16th-17th century, late Muromachi (1336-1573) to early Edo period (1615-1868)
Well carved and finely painted to depict the blue-skinned winged tengu-like deity with wrathful expression standing atop a plump fox over a compressed globular base with openworked foliate design raised on a naturalistically carved gilt-lacquered rockwork base further supporting a small gilt-lacquered stupa as well as a metal candle stick with a small wax candle. The deity is holding a gilt sword in his right hand and a metal wire rope with two glass beads in his left. He is wearing long flowing robes decorated with foliate and diapered designs as well as a metal necklace suspending glass beads. His face is well-detailed with narrowed eyes, thick furrowed brows, and a long beak. He is backed by red-painted metal flames which subtly convey the beak and comb of a chicken.
HEIGHT 32.8 cm
Condition: Good condition with some wear, minor flaking and small losses to lacquer and pigments, few minor age cracks, minor dents to flame. The stupa and candlestick are later-mounted attributes for worship.
Izuna Gongen, also called Izuna Myojin and enshrined in Izuna Shrine in Nagano, represents the kami of Mount Iizuna. Iconographically, Izuna Gongen is usually depicted in the form of a tengu riding a white fox. This depiction resembles that of Akiba Daigongen, the god of fire prevention at Akibayama Sanjakubo, located in Shuchigun, Totomi Province, and associated with Fudo Myo-o. Another tengu depicted atop a white fox (and thus probably linked to Dakiniten-Benzaiten) is Doryo Daigongen, who was a mountain ascetic before becoming a Soto Zen monk. He was eventually appointed as head cook and administrator at Daiyuzan Temple in Kanagawa Prefecture. After his death in 1411, legend says he transformed into a tengu and became the monastery’s guardian. According to Duncan Williams in The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Soto Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan (2005), “[upon his death] his body was engulfed in flames as he appeared transformed and stood on a white fox to promise a life free from illness and full of riches for those who sincerely worshipped him.”
Japan, 16th-17th century, late Muromachi (1336-1573) to early Edo period (1615-1868)
Well carved and finely painted to depict the blue-skinned winged tengu-like deity with wrathful expression standing atop a plump fox over a compressed globular base with openworked foliate design raised on a naturalistically carved gilt-lacquered rockwork base further supporting a small gilt-lacquered stupa as well as a metal candle stick with a small wax candle. The deity is holding a gilt sword in his right hand and a metal wire rope with two glass beads in his left. He is wearing long flowing robes decorated with foliate and diapered designs as well as a metal necklace suspending glass beads. His face is well-detailed with narrowed eyes, thick furrowed brows, and a long beak. He is backed by red-painted metal flames which subtly convey the beak and comb of a chicken.
HEIGHT 32.8 cm
Condition: Good condition with some wear, minor flaking and small losses to lacquer and pigments, few minor age cracks, minor dents to flame. The stupa and candlestick are later-mounted attributes for worship.
Izuna Gongen, also called Izuna Myojin and enshrined in Izuna Shrine in Nagano, represents the kami of Mount Iizuna. Iconographically, Izuna Gongen is usually depicted in the form of a tengu riding a white fox. This depiction resembles that of Akiba Daigongen, the god of fire prevention at Akibayama Sanjakubo, located in Shuchigun, Totomi Province, and associated with Fudo Myo-o. Another tengu depicted atop a white fox (and thus probably linked to Dakiniten-Benzaiten) is Doryo Daigongen, who was a mountain ascetic before becoming a Soto Zen monk. He was eventually appointed as head cook and administrator at Daiyuzan Temple in Kanagawa Prefecture. After his death in 1411, legend says he transformed into a tengu and became the monastery’s guardian. According to Duncan Williams in The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Soto Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan (2005), “[upon his death] his body was engulfed in flames as he appeared transformed and stood on a white fox to promise a life free from illness and full of riches for those who sincerely worshipped him.”
Zacke Live Online Bidding
Our online bidding platform makes it easier than ever to bid in our auctions! When you bid through our website, you can take advantage of our premium buyer's terms without incurring any additional online bidding surcharges.
To bid live online, you'll need to create an online account. Once your account is created and your identity is verified, you can register to bid in an auction up to 12 hours before the auction begins.
Intended Spend and Bid Limits
When you register to bid in an online auction, you will need to share your intended maximum spending budget for the auction. We will then review your intended spend and set a bid limit for you. Once you have pre-registered for a live online auction, you can see your intended spend and bid limit by going to 'Account Settings' and clicking on 'Live Bidding Registrations'.
Your bid limit will be the maximum amount you can bid during the auction. Your bid limit is for the hammer price and is not affected by the buyer’s premium and VAT. For example, if you have a bid limit of €1,000 and place two winning bids for €300 and €200, then you will only be able to bid €500 for the rest of the auction. If you try to place a bid that is higher than €500, you will not be able to do so.
Online Absentee and Telephone Bids
You can now leave absentee and telephone bids on our website!
Absentee Bidding
Once you've created an account and your identity is verified, you can leave your absentee bid directly on the lot page. We will contact you when your bids have been confirmed.
Telephone Bidding
Once you've created an account and your identity is verified, you can leave telephone bids online. We will contact you when your bids have been confirmed.
Classic Absentee and Telephone Bidding Form
You can still submit absentee and telephone bids by email or fax if you prefer. Simply fill out the Absentee Bidding/Telephone bidding form and return it to us by email at office@zacke.at or by fax at +43 (1) 532 04 52 20. You can download the PDF from our Upcoming Auctions page.
How-To Guides
How to Create Your Personal Zacke Account
How to Register to Bid on Zacke Live
How to Leave Absentee Bids Online
How to Leave Telephone Bids Online
中文版本的操作指南
创建新账号
注册Zacke Live在线直播竞拍（免平台费）
缺席投标和电话投标
Third-Party Bidding
We partner with best-in-class third-party partners to make it easy for you to bid online in the channel of your choice. Please note that if you bid with one of our third-party online partners, then there will be a live bidding surcharge on top of your final purchase price. You can find all of our fees here. Here's a full list of our third-party partners:
- 51 Bid Live
- EpaiLive
- ArtFoxLive
- Invaluable
- LiveAuctioneers
- the-saleroom
- lot-tissimo
- Drouot
Please note that we place different auctions on different platforms. For example, in general, we only place Chinese art auctions on 51 Bid Live.
Bidding in Person
You must register to bid in person and will be assigned a paddle at the auction. Please contact us at office@zacke.at or +43 (1) 532 04 52 for the latest local health and safety guidelines.
