East Asia, Japan, Edo Period (Samurai Era), ca. 17th century CE. An incredible and rare example of a devotional statue of the Virgin Mary from Japan. It is carved from a single piece of wood. The face is emphasized, with large, deepset eyes, and a peaceful expression on her face; she wears a hooded cloak that was at one time a brilliant blue and white. Some of the original paint remains on the statue, and it appears to have been well-loved, with many examples of overpainting on the surface, as worshippers kept it looking beautiful. Size: 5.75" L x 7.8" W x 21.75" H (14.6 cm x 19.8 cm x 55.2 cm)

Jesuit Christian missionaries arrived in Japan in the 1540s along with Portuguese trade missions. The religion achieved initial success, amassing over 100,000 converts within a few years, and, by 1582, these converts became the largest population of Christians in the world not under control of a European power. Japanese elites, sensing the danger of large portions of their population allying with the European Catholic Church, and outraged by actions they considered immoral on the part of the missionaries, acted quickly to quell the religion. Emperor Ogimachi issued edicts to outlaw it in 1565 and 1568; Jesuit missionaries were banned in 1587 by the regent Hideyoshi; finally, in 1620, the Tokugawa shogunate banned Christianity entirely. This resulted in many Catholics going underground, becoming "kakure kirishitan," hidden Christians. If discovered, they often became martyrs.

In secret, these Christians practiced their religion, usually with the aid of objects of devotion like this one. Few priests were able to remain, and so Christianity became an oral tradition, passed from parent to child. Some statues of the Virgin Mary were adapted to look like the Buddha, while others, like this one, were kept in secret rooms.

Provenance: private Illinois, USA Collection; ex private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Osaka, Japan antiques dealer

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#125492

Hands are missing. Wood has several stable cracks running through it. Some pigment remaining as shown, with evidence for overpainting throughout the object's lifetime. Two newer - but still old - stickers are on the front of the base.