A very rare model of a reclining deer

Description:

Japan, possibly Oribe, Momoyama period
L.35 cm
Stoneware. Depiction of a reclining deer of slender, tense form, with its head turned slightly to the side and a watchful expression. The reddish-orange body is partially covered with an ash glaze, which in thicker areas has fused to an opaque, milky-white surface. The coat is decorated with white spots; the eyes are partially highlighted with white and fine black lines, while the nostrils and hooves are accentuated in black. The ears are laid back, emphasizing the animal’s alertness. Iron-oxide details applied under a white slip flake in places, indicating experimental techniques. The two-part antlers are carved from dark brown wood and are inserted into the head of the deer. The careful painting and finely modeled facial features enhance the naturalistic expression of the deer.
From a European private collection, assembled since 1960
There is virtually no comparable object, except for a tile in the Cleveland Museum made of glazed stoneware, which exhibits the same reddish-orange body, a similar ash glaze, and iron-oxide decoration beneath a white slip. This tile, described as Mino ware of the Oribe type, has been dated to the Momoyama period, around 1600. Oribe ceramics are usually made with gray or light-colored clay; the reddish-orange body of both this deer and the Cleveland tile, however, indicates experimental firing techniques during the Momoyama period, a phase of technical and stylistic innovation. While the slip on the tile adheres firmly, it flakes in places on the deer, suggesting that the present piece may represent an earlier stage of the technique and can probably be dated to the later 16th century. Cf. Cleveland Museum, Ohio, accession number: 1965.79.
Further comparative examples are Kakiemon porcelain figures depicting deer from the 17th century. A clear distinction is evident in the representation: these animals appear well-fed and calm, serving as symbols of peace and prosperity during the Edo period. In contrast, the present deer is lean and tense; its alert posture reflects the unrest and uncertainty characteristic of the war-torn late Muromachi and Momoyama periods.
Deer (shika) hold profound symbolic significance in Japanese religious and cultural traditions. In Shintō, they are regarded as messengers of the kami, particularly in connection with Kasuga Shrine in Nara, where they have been protected as sacred animals since the 8th century (Blacker 1986; Grapard 1992). In Buddhist iconography, the deer symbolizes purity, gentleness, and the Deer Park at Sarnath, where the Buddha delivered his first sermon. Depictions of pairs of deer are common in painting and decorative arts, yet ceramic examples are extraordinarily rare - Minor traces of age, partly rest.