Page 52 - 2021 March 15th Fine Chinese Paintings and Works of Art, Bonhams NYC New York
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PROPERTY OF AN ENGLISH LADY For a late Ming dynasty seated ivory figure of Guandi dated to
between 1580-1644, see Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the
52 Qing, The Oriental Ceramic Society and British Museum, London,
A MAGNIFICENT LARGE SOAPSTONE FIGURE OF GUANDI 1984, pp. 101-102, no. 110. The figure, like ours, firmly grasps his
ON ROCKWORK PEDESTAL long beard with one hand. The authors note that the pose belongs
17th/18th Century to the repertory of exaggerated gestures of the Chinese theatrical
The figure standing but attached to a separate rock pedestal in an tradition, which identify and amplify the emotional state of the
imposing stance with his left foot turned outward and his right hand moment. In our case he stands and strikes a formidable pose with
raised to carefully hold the weight of his lengthy beard to his right side, feet well apart and pointing in opposite decorations, to give a subtle
his other hand clutching his belt at his left side which dutifully skirts contraposto movement to the sculpture. His left hand clutches his
his ample belly which is incised and gilt with a large open-mouthed belt in opposing movement to the pulling of his beard. See also, ibid.,
four-clawed scaly dragon amidst cloud scrolls, below his belt two p. 107, no. 119, another soapstone figure of Guandi in the British
confronted dragons contest a flaming pearl in a wide band and below Museum from the Sloane Collection (OA SL.1174).
this are large stylized rockwork groupings amidst frothing water and
waves, cranes fly on his sleeves, his armor visible at his upper chest A large soapstone seated figure of Guandi, also pulling at his beard,
and shoulders, the reverse side has further dragons and clouds, the and dated to the Kangxi period (1662-1722) was sold at Christie’s,
majestic face superbly carved with heavy lids, knotted brows and Hong Kong, 28 November 2017, lot 2921, where it is noted that the
sensitive mouth, many minute details incised throughout the carving aesthetic is reminiscent of the lengthened proportions and elongated
and further highlighted by black pigments and gilding. eyes found in late Ming dynasty woodblock prints by the painter
10 1/2in (26.7cm) high, the figure only; 14 1/2in (36.8cm.) high, overall Chen Hongshou (1599-1602). It was previously published by A & J
Speelman Chinese Works of Art, 2008, pp. 58-59, no. 25. A slightly
$15,000 - 25,000 smaller figure, similarly posed clutching his beard and dated to the
18th century, sold at Christie’s, London, 14 May 2015, lot 535.
十七/十八世紀 壽山石雕關帝像 For another smaller standing figure of Guandi, see Ben Janssens,
Oriental Art, Chinese and Asian Art, London, TEFAF 2019, no. 43,
www.benjanssens.com.
Another very large soapstone figure of a scholar official (52
cm. high) dated to the 17th/18th century is illustrated by M.N.
Kretchetova, Carved Stone of China at the Hermitage, Leningrad,
1960, no. 44 and 45.
Guandi (Guan Yu), the Chinese God of War, became a military hero
during the late Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 CE.). He continued
to be worshipped as a deity long after his death. He was deified
during the Sui dynasty (581-618 CE.). In 1594, he was awarded the
posthumous title of ‘Emperor Guan’ (Guan Di). His cult culminated
in his depiction in the 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo
Guanzhong, Sanguo Yanyi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) where
his virtuos qualities, military prowess and loyalty were emphasized.
Soapstone, known in Chinese as hua shi meaning literally ‘slippery
stone’, is among the softest of all stones, a quality which makes
it particularly suitable for intricate details. It is also known as
shoushan shi, after the town in Fujian province where many
carvings were produced.
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