Page 257 - Christie's Important Chinese Art, March 23 to 24 2023 New York

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

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A RARE AND FINELY CARVED BAIFURONG FIGURE OF A carver Zhou Bin, a native of Zhangzhou city, Fujian province. In Shoushanshi
STANDING LUOHAN zhi (Records of Shoushan Stone), Fang Zonggui notes that Zhou Bin was
17TH CENTURY possibly a master carver in the Imperial workshop during the Kangxi period.
Zhou utilized the Chinese painting technique of xieyi (freehand brushwork),
The figure is shown standing on a separately carved golden yellow
which emphasizes the semblance in the spiritual aspect, to create
huangfurong rockwork base, with a signature reading Shang Jun.
mesmerizing details in his design. Zhou was also known to cleverly hide
5¡ in. (13.7 cm.) high, cloth box his signature within the decoration. Sculptural figures bearing a Shangjun
mark are very rare as the revered artist is better known for his extremely fine
$60,000-80,000 carving of archaistic birds and dragons, such as the tianhuang seal sold at
Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 November 1999, lot 723; and another tianhuang seal

ૈ♥珍藏 sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 720 (part). A soapstone
ascetic Shakyamuni bearing a Shangjun mark, but in the common seated
十ˑˠ紀ǎ白芙蓉雕Å骨羅漢⒤像
position, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 773. A small
seated luohan from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, attributed
to Zhou Bin and dated 17 century, was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 1 June
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The present unusual emaciated figure may be identified, through the fruit 2016, lot 73. Another small soapstone figure of seated Luohan (11.1 cm. high)
held in his hands, as the ascetic Shakyamuni, or more commonly known in inscribed on the base with Gumin Zhou Bin Shangjun shi zhi (made by Zhou
Chinese as Shougu Luohan. Shakyamuni was born as the crown Prince of Bin, Shang Jun of Gumin [Fujian]) is illustrated in Arts from the Scholar's
the Shakya Kingdom, but after the young Siddhartha Gautama learned about Studio, the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, pp. 86-87, no. 44.
the deep suffering of the people, he decided to leave the Palace life and to
find the cause and meaning of the suffering by practicing self-deprivation The soapstone used for this exquisite figure is baifurong, a variety of
and meditation in complete isolation on a snow mountain. According to the furong stone, which range in color from white to pale creamy beige, and is
Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the only food Shakyamuni would consume found at the Jialiang mountains, located about eight kilometers outside of
was the fruits in the wild. As a popular Chinese Buddhist iconography, the Shoushan Village in Fujian province. The large size of the current figure and
ascetic Shakyamuni is usually depicted in a seated position with one knee the naturalistic details of the carving distinguishes it as amongst the rarest
raised and both hands held in front of the torso. What makes the present soapstone carvings of the 17 century. It required a carver of tremendous
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figure extremely rare, and possibly a unique example, is his standing position skill, such as Shangjun, to depict the intriguing expression on the figure’s
and the branch of fruit. face, not to mention plan out the utilization of the stone’s material markings
to enhance the details. Given its complex composition of the figure,
The two-character name Shangjun, cleverly incorporated in the fruiting combined with the rarity of the material, it is perhaps not surprising that so
branch next to the figure, is the zi (courtesy name) of the renowned master few examples of standing baifurong figures survived to the present day.

(another view) (inscription)