Page 261 - Christies September 13 to 14th Fine Chinese Works of Art New York

VARIOUS PROPERTIES
1266
A BRONZE FIGURE OF LIU HAI
17TH-18TH CENTURY
The smiling immortal has hair parted in the middle
and is shown standing with legs braced and hands
positioned to hold a string of cash as he tries to
lure his three-legged toad. A large double-gourd is
strapped to his back by a cord tied around his torso,
and a stem of lingzhi is hung from his cord belt.
19¬ in. (49.7 cm.) high, stand
$15,000-20,000

Liu Hai and his three-legged toad appear to have
been popular subject matter for bronze incense
burners in the late Ming and early Qing. For one
bronze example of the toad alone, and a gilt bronze
example of the laughing immortal riding the toad,
both in the Musée Cernuschi, see M. Maucuer,
Bronzes de la Chine impériale des Song aux Qing,
Paris, 2013, p. 158, nos. 111 and 112, respectively.
A related bronze fgure of Liu Hai, standing
on one leg on top of a three-legged toad, is in
the collection of the British Museum, museum
reference no. 1992,0612.1.
十七/十八世紀 銅劉海戲蟾立像

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