Page 146 - Christies IMportant Chinese Art Sept 26 2020 NYC
P. 146
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