Page 146 - Christies IMportant Chinese Art Sept 26 2020 NYC
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PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF LENORA AND
                                                                            WALTER F. BROWN
                                                                            1608
                                                                            A LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF ZHENWU
                                                                            MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY
                                                                            The bearded immortal has long, straight hair and is
                                                                            shown seated and dressed in long robes decorated with
                                                                            roundels of dragons amidst clouds, his broad face finely
                                                                            cast with a serene yet powerful expression.
                                                                            24Ω in. (62.3 cm.) high, softwood stand
                                                                            $12,000-18,000
                                                                            PROVENANCE:
                                                                            Private collection, Europe.
                                                                            Roger Keverne, London, 2009.
                                                                            The Lenora and Walter F. Brown Collection, San
                                                                            Antonio, Texas.
                                                                            EXHIBITED:
                                                                            London, Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works
                                                                            of Art and Ceramics - Summer Exhibition, London, June
                                                                            2009.
                                                                            LITERATURE:
                                                                            Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and
                                                                            Ceramics - Summer Exhibition, London, 2009, p. 20,
                                                                            no. 16.
                                                                            Zhenwu rose to the height of his popularity during
                                                                            the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The third Ming
                                                                            emperor, Yongle, credited Zhenwu with helping him
                                                                            secure the throne and ordered a massive temple-
                                                                            building campaign at Wudang Shan, the place where
                                                                            Zhenwu is believed to have attained immortality and
                                                                            ascended to heaven. The long, slicked-back hair and
                                                                            the bare feet are the two most salient indicators of
                                                                            Zhenwu's identity, and there are several folk legends
                                                                            explaining this common depiction. According to one
                                                                            folk legend, Yongle summoned a sculptor to the palace
                                                                            to commission the first image of Zhenwu. When the
                                                                            sculptor arrived, Yongle had just finished a bath. The
                                                                            emperor commanded the sculptor to create a true
                                                                            likeness of Zhenwu. The sculptor replied that he had
                                                                            never seen the god, to which Yongle replied 'look at
                                                                            me'. The sculptor then literally created the image
                                                                            of Zhenwu in the likeness of Yongle, fresh from the
                                                                            bath, his hair still wet and slicked back and feet bare.
                                                                            Other legends tell of Zhenwu engaging in a fierce
                                                                            battle with demons and emerging victorious but
                                                                            having lost his footwear and his hair coming undone.

                                                                            明十六世紀 銅真武大帝坐像
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