A HIGHLY IMPORTANT STATUE OF JIZO BOSATSU, KAMAKURA Japan, Kei School, Kamakura period (1185-1333) AMS 14C (carbon 14) analysis report (HEKAL code I/2345, lab code DeA-24407, sample number I/2345/2) issued by Isotoptech Laboratories of Debrecen, Hungary, on April 20th, 2020, sets the exact date of creation of the present statue to AD 1225-1283. Jizo Bosatsu (the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha) is a merciful figure who alone among Buddhist deities moves through the six worlds of illusion in his role of saving all sentient beings. He is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the guardian of children in Japanese culture, where he is known as Jizo or Ojizosama. In the present example Jizo Bosatsu is depicted as a monk with a shaved head standing in front of an eight-leaved lotus bud halo from which dramatized beams of light emerge, all on a wood stand carved as a solitaire lotus flower springing from craggy layered rocks. The figure is carved from cypress wood and of hollow construction, formed of several components fitted together (yosegi-zukuri), and bears a third eye made from inlaid crystal on the forehead, a feature introduced during the Kamakura period. The statue is slender and delicate, exudes an elegant serenity as it stands with the left hand raised to hold a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness, the right lowered to hold a staff (both attributes now lost), wearing robe open at the torso and falling in rhythmic pleats, the body applied with both polished and matted gold lacquer and elaborate minute kirikane (cut gold foil) to reveal key fret and foliate scrolls, both highly characteristic of sculptures from Kamakura period. Given its grand scale, it is most likely that the present figure graced a public altar in Nara, possibly at either the Todai-ji or the Kofuku-ji. Kamakura is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first Shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo. The period is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste, and for the establishment of feudalism in Japan. Kei was a Japanese school of Buddhist sculpture which emerged in the early Kamakura period (circa 1200). Based in Nara, it was the dominant school of Buddhist sculpture in Japan well into the 14th century and remained influential for a long time. Art historian Joan Stanley Baker cites the Kei school's early works as the last highpoint in the history of Japanese sculpture. Much of the cities of Nara and Kyoto were destroyed in the Genpei War of 1180-1185. The Kei school was granted the opportunity to restore Nara's greatest temples, the Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji, replacing their Buddhist sculptures. The Kei school's strong and traditional style earned it the favor of the Kamakura shogunate, catapulting it to great success and influence. The restoration project lasted several generations, from roughly 1180 to 1212, and drew extensively on Tang and Song Chinese styles, introducing new stylistic elements while remaining true to tradition. New human iconographic forms emerged, with greater simplicity and realism, and more subdued colors. For the first time, crystals were used for the third eyes of statues. While the Kei school style recalls elements of Nara period sculpture, Joan Stanley Baker describes the works as less idealized, generic, and impersonal than Nara works. The sculptors of the Kei school focused on the distinctive identity of each statue's subject, and on physical details. HEIGHT 113 cm (including the highest beam), 93 cm (just the figure on it's base, but without the light beams), 58 cm (just the figure without the halo and the base) Condition: Overall superb and original condition, extremely rare when considering the age of almost 800 years. Both attributes lost. Minor losses, chips, dents and age crackling all around. Some smaller breaks, structural fissures. Minor heat damage. The gilding with extensive patina and areas of darkening. Some pitting. All damages absolutely commensurate with age. Provenance: From a Hungarian private collector. By repute acquired from the Cserno Collection, Amsterdam. Literature comparison: For a sculpture in similar style in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, see Sato Toshio, ed., Kamakura jidai no chokoku (Japanese sculpture of the Kamakura period) (Tokyo: Tokyo National Museum, 1976), pl. 61. Auction comparison: Compare with a closely related, but 14th century statue of Jizo Bosatsu at Christies London, in Japanese Art & Design Including Arts of The Samurai, 9th November 2011, sold for GBP 229,250.00 (circa EUR 263,350.00). Also compare with a statue of Nyoirin Kannon, height 37 cm, at Christies New York, in The Sublime and the Beautiful: Asian Masterpieces of Devotion, 20th March 2014, sold for USD 341,000.00 (circa EUR 289,850.00).