Japanese carved boxwood okimono of the poetess Ono no Komachi

Japanese carved boxwood okimono of the poetess Ono no Komachi, finely modelled as an elderly lady in tattered robes and straw hat, minor losses, 28.5cm high

Ono no Komachi was a Japanese waka poet of the 9th century, one of the Rokkasen (six best waka poets of the early Heian period) and was renowned for her extraordinary beauty. However, several legends tell of her mistreatment of her many lovers, and she is often depicted as an elderly, destitute beggar - thus a symbol of the impermanence of beauty.