Page 83 - Bonhams May 12 16 London
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A FINE BLANC-DE-CHINE FIGURE OF GUANDI
17th century
The figure finely modelled wearing a cloth cap tied
in a simple knot over the head with two trailing
ribbons, the face with frowning brows and the
mouth surrounded by holes for a moustache and
beard, the hands held to one side and concealed
beneath long flowing robes, all covered in a rich
creamy glaze, wood stand.
36cm (14 1/8in) high (2).
£20,000 - 30,000
HK$220,000 - 330,000 CNY180,000 - 280,000
十七世紀 德化白瓷關聖帝君坐像
The figure represents Guandi, the God of War, who
is the deification of a historical hero General Guan
Yu (died AD217). He was a warrior of renowned
bravery and honour and was lionised in the popular
Ming novel ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ by
Luo Guanzhong. Under constant threat of foreign
incursions, the late Ming government under the
Wanli emperor sponsored the cult worship of Guan
Yu as the God of War as well as the God of Wealth
to help raise martial spirit among the population.
Compare with a very similar figure of Guandi, dated
from 1625-1675, illustrated by P.J.Donnelly, Blanc
De Chine: The Porcelain of Tehua in Fukien, New
York, 1967, pl.97a.
