Page 213 - China's Renaissance in Bronze, The Robert H.CIague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes 1100-1900

TANDING ON A SQUARE, bronze socle with openwork panels, this
figure wears an official's hat with long tails that trail over the shoulders,
S and a plain, knee-length robe secured at the waist with a belt enlivened
with circular and rectangular markings that represent jade plaques; boots
protect his feet. The bearded gentleman cups his hands in front of his chest,
the position of the hands suggesting that he might once have held an
object, now lost, or that he is displaying a ritual gesture, akin to a Buddhist
mudra. Held in place by a cord, the calabash gourd appearing between his
shoulder blades indicates that he is a deity rather than a mere human. Lack-
ing a base, the gourd is open all the way through.
The absence of specific attributes makes identification difficult, but
the hat, boots, and tunic suggest that this might represent Guandi, God
of War and patron deity of literature, revered by the literati because he
was supposedly able to recite the entire Chunqiu Zuozhuan (Zuo Commen-
tary on the Spring and Autumn Annals). Known by various names, he was
an historical personnage, born Yu Changsheng (162-219); a sworn brother
of Liu Bei (162-223), he was a mighty warrior celebrated for his loyalty.
China's most renowned military hero, he was ennobled as duke in 1120,
1
raised to the rank of prince in 1128, and named a di, or deity, in 1594. As
God of War, Guandi typically wears full body armor and shows a serious,
almost minatory demeanor; 2 as patron of literature, he wears boots and
military tunic, but exhibits a gentle, benevolent expression. 3
The masculine features, slight contrapposto, and elegantly simple
but windswept robe are akin to those of carved ivory figures attributed to
the late Ming, suggesting a sixteenth- to early seventeenth-century date
for this sculpture. 4

T I I E R O B E R T 1 1 . C L A G U E C O L L E C T I O N '2 4 9