General Xuande (Liu Bei)
CultureJapanese
Datemid-19th century
MediumGofun (powdered shell), pigment, silk, brocaded silk, silk crepe, glass, metal, leather, silk lacings, plant fiber, paper, lacquer, hair, dyes, straw, paper board, cotton, gilt copper alloy, fabric batting, recycled paper, and velvet
DimensionsOverall: 31 3/4 × 19 1/2 × 29 1/2 inches (80.65 × 49.53 × 74.93 cm)
Credit LineGift of Alan and Nadine Levin
Object number2022.39.3.1-8
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThis doll portrays the Chinese general Xuande (Liu Bei, Chinese, 161–223 C.E.; known as Gentoku in Japanese) from the Three Kingdoms period and later Emperor Xuande of the Tang dynasty. His face is square and red, and he makes a stern facial expression. He rides on a dark brown horse with an orange mane and tail made of coarse plant fiber. The horse is made of paper mache and coated with dark brown varnish. Xuande is dressed in layers of clothes made of silk brocaded with paper-backed gold threads and silk threads. His paper-made armor is covered with purple silk crepes, and white lacings join each plate. The ends of the armor are decorated with gold ornaments.Published ReferencesAlan Pate, Japanese Dolls: The Fascinating World of Ningyo (Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 2012): 45 (repro).
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