Page 193 - Sotheby's Speelman Collection Oct. 3, 2018

The present pair of figures, depicted riding on Buddhist on a lion, with a foreign attendant standing by his side, sold in
lions and each holding an archaistic vase, is special for the our New York rooms, 28th February 1980, lot 42, and again at
exceptional quality of the carving and the rarity of the subject Dukes, Dorchester, England, 23rd September 2010, lot 1206,
matter. They are unique amongst figural carvings in wood and now in the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection. This
of the Qing dynasty. The exceptional skill of the artist is group carving bears a Qianlong reign mark and an inscription
displayed in the use of his material and the rendering of the with a cyclical date corresponding to 1761 on its base.
many details in deep relief.
The present figures compare favourably to a number of
The two figures seen here represent foreigners offering examples of foreigners depicted in a variety of media. See
tribute, as may be seen from the manner in which they hold up a magnificent pair of gilt-bronze cloisonné and champlevé
the vases in their hands. They are distinguished by their strong enamel figures, shown kneeling on one leg with one arm
Western facial complexions as may be seen from the figure raised, perhaps originally holding a vase, from the Kitson
with large bulging eyes and bushy beard and moustache. They collection first sold in our London rooms, 30th May 1961, lot
are dressed in lavish attire that is reminiscent of that seen on 426, and again at Christie’s Paris, 13th June 2007, lot 27,
three gilt-bronze and enamel decorated figures of Westerners, from the collection of Juan Jose Amezaga. Compare also a
one in the collection of the Museum fur Angewandte Kunst, pair of Western figures, from the collection of H. M. Queen
Vienna, illustrated in Dr Gunhild Gabbert Avitabile, Die Ware Mary, consort to King George V, fashioned and painted in
aus dem Teufelsland, Hannover, 1981, pl. 98; one in the wood with carved ivory heads and hands, each modelled
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, possibly the companion figure kneeling, with one shown holding a conch shell and the other
to the one in Vienna, included in Europa und Die Kaiser von a canopy fashioned in cloisonné enamel, sold in our London
China, Frankfurt, 1985, p. 248; and the third published in David rooms, 14th November 2001, lot 129. A further pair of Western
S. Howard, A Tale of Three Cities. Canton, Shanghai and Hong figures made in mixed-media and holding auspicious Buddhist
Kong, London, 1997, p. 159, pl. 205. Howard describes the emblems, the fish and the endless knot, from the collection of
figure that wears a similarly shaped rounded hat, surcoat with Mildred R. and Rafi Y. Mottahedeh, was sold in our New York
ruff collars, breeches and boots as seen here, inspired by the rooms, 29th October 2000, lot 460.
Venetian costume seen on Pucinello, a figure central to the One can only speculate as to who commissioned these
Italian comedy popular from the early 18th century (see ibid., figures and their purpose; nevertheless, they are examples
p. 159). of the finest quality of craftsmanship and a testament to the
While no other similar example to the present pair of figures continuing fascination with Westerners and their depiction in
appears to be recorded, in their style they are comparable to Imperial China.
a much smaller (h. 9 cm) group of figures of a luohan seated

GEMS OF CHINESE ART — THE SPEELMAN COLLECTION II 191