Fine Japanese Works of Art
Fine Japanese Works of Art
Property from a Collection
Anonymous | The Tale of the Hut in the Rocks (Iwaya monogatari) | Edo period, 17th century
Lot Closed
September 29, 02:02 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 25,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Collection
Anonymous
The Tale of the Hut in the Rocks (Iwaya monogatari)
Edo period, 17th century
three handscrolls (emakimono), ink, colour and gold on prepared paper, no colophon, n.d., 3 volumes, complete, gold leaf end papers, blue and gold brocade wrappers, title slip, coloured cloisonné enamel scroll ends, fitted wood storage box inscribed Iwaya monogatari sankan (The Tale of the Hut in the Rocks, three volumes), the contents comprising:
vol. 1 : 1150 x 17.5 cm., 452.7 x 7 in. - mounted as a handscroll, text, with 6 illustrations
vol. 2 : 1250 x 17.5 cm., 492.1 x 7 in. - mounted as a handscroll, text, with 4 illustrations
vol. 3: 1760 x 17.5 cm., 692.9 x 7 in. - mounted as a handscroll, text, with 6 illustrations
Emakimono:
14 x 17.5 x 37 cm., 5½ x 7 x 14⅝ in. (the fitted wood storage box)
The tale Iwaya derives from the Muromachi period tradition of short stories referred to as otogi-zoshi, or 'companion tales'. The majority of these tales are by anonymous authors, including the Iwaya. The tale follows the hardships endured by the beautiful Tainoya who is cast away by her hateful stepmother on a rock off the coast of Awaji island. Rescued by a fisherman, she is able to return to her father at court and is recognised as the fairest lady of the land after numerous trials by the palace ladies. The three handscrolls depict the events of the unusually long otogi-zoshi, interspersed with calligraphy in the cursive mode (sosho) on prepared paper decorated with cut gold leaf.
For a full synopsis of the tale, see Donald Keene, Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the Late Sixteenth Century, (New York, 1999), pg. 1097-98.