Page 318 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Nov 2013 London

311 311Y
A small ivory seal of Guan Yu
312 Ming Dynasty
314 | Bonhams The creamy ivory patinated at the back to an amber hue and carved
as Guan Yu seated lost in thought running his long beard through his
right hand while his left hand rests on his raised left knee, gazing at a
book placed on a finely carved scholar’s desk also supporting a vase, all
raised on a rectangular plinth with bevelled edges, the underside uncut.
5cm (2in) high
£3,000 - 5,000
HK$37,000 - 62,000 CNY29,000 - 49,000
明 象牙雕關羽鈕印章
Depicted is the military hero and God of War Guan Yu (died
219), who became glorified in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, attributed to Luo
Guanzhong. The subject represents an episode from Guan Yu’s life
when he memorised in only a few nights the Confucian Classics of
The Spring and Autumn Annals and also The Commentary of Zuo.
His feat of memory made him an admirable model for the literati
and as well as becoming a God of War in 1615 with state backing,
he also became a God of Literature. An exquisite carving of Guan
Yu in deep concentration over the book on his desk would have
demonstrated the owner’s deep yearning for examination success, or
the leisurely life of a literatus in his studio.

312Y
An ivory carving of a boy
Ming Dynasty
The amber-toned smoothly patinated ivory delicately carved as an
amusing child raising a flute with both hands, the figure wearing a
short jacket over long trousers and playfully kicking its left leg out
towards the right, fixed wood stand.
9.7cm (3 7/8in) high
£4,000 - 6,000
HK$50,000 - 75,000 CNY39,000 - 59,000
明 象牙雕童子立像

313Y
An ivory carving of Guanyin holding a lingzhi
fungus
Ming Dynasty, the stand later
The figure carved with a gentle downcast expression, the loose hair
falling down her back, the arms cradling a stout branch issuing heavy
heads of lingzhi fungus, the long flowing robes covering the feet,
fixed tiered lotus stand.
The figure 23cm (9in) high
£8,000 - 12,000
HK$100,000 - 150,000 CNY79,000 - 120,000
明 象牙雕如意觀音立像連座（座屬後期）
The present figure of a Bodhisattva is unusual for showing the
immortal holding a naturalistic ruyi in the form of a lingzhi fungus
spray. In form and style of carving the figure is comparable to an ivory
figure of Guanyin holding a child, circa AD 1580-1644, illustrated in
Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing, London, 1984, pl.36.