Lot 66 ANTIQUE TEMPLE PAINTING

Substantial antique oo’ema 大絵馬 (large votive tablet) featuring a vibrant painting of a black horse 馬 (uma), adorned with elaborate tack including long decorative red tassels and a green saddle embellished with golden maple leaves.

The artwork is painted on a low relief design carved into a solid keyaki panel and is bordered by a hinoki cypress frame with ornate metal hardware featuring scrolling foliage.

Faint inscriptions remain visible; prominently, “Hônô” 奉納 appears in large characters, signifying a dedication or offering, and it is dated “Bunka 12, the Year of the Wood Boar” 文化拾貮乙亥年, corresponding to the year 1815.

Dimensions:
Height 99.6 cm, Width 123.5 cm, Depth 4.4 cm.

Considering its age the large tablet is in a very good condition with some loss of paint and some general traces of wear conform age. Please look at the photos for a condition reference.

Ema 絵馬 are traditional Japanese wooden plaques on which Shinto and Buddhist worshippers inscribe prayers or wishes. In ancient Japan, there was the practice of presenting horses when praying for something, but this later changed to offering votive pictures of horses, which later changed to other pictures as well. Devotees hang them at shrines for the kami (spirits) to receive. Periodically, they are ceremonially burned to fulfil the inscribed wishes.