Page 24 - Bonhams May 11th 2017 London Fine Chinese Art

VARIOUS OWNERS 各方藏家

113 †
A GILT-LACQUERED BRONZE FIGURE OF
TIANGUAN
16th/17th century
Expertly cast dressed in the long flowing
robes of an official with finely-incised hems
and covered in red and gilt lacquer, seated
with hands clasping a hu tablet at chest level,
the face with stern expression and long beard
and whiskers beneath a tall cap with pin,
wood stand.
36.8cm (14 1/2in) high (2).

£8,000 - 10,000
CNY69,000 - 86,000

十六/十七世紀 銅漆金天官執笏坐像

Provenance: a French private collection

來源： 法國私人舊藏

Tianguan is one of the Three High Officials in
the Daoist pantheon who bestowed luck and
happiness on the devotees. He is correlated
with the Jade Clarity Realm and embodies
the essence of the green, yellow and white
energies. He is also often identified with
Fuxing, the ‘star’ God of Happiness, and
associated with the Lantern Festival, which fell
on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to
celebrate the end of winter and the coming of
spring. For the occasion, grand ceremonies
were set up by the emperor to invoke
blessings and from at least the Ming dynasty,
a play named Tianguan Cifu 天官賜福 and
featuring Tianguan as the main character
enacted the bestowal of heavenly gifts on
worthy individuals.

A similar figure of Tianguan, 16th century, was
sold at Christie’s New York, 20 March 2014,
lot 1627.

113 For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
22 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.