AN UNUSUAL CARVED BLACK LACQUER FIGURE OF A STANDING SCHOLAR


18th centuryThe dignified figure carved with grace and simplicity, the face smiling deeply underneath the knotted hair and between elongated ear lobes, the long body robed in a flowing tunic carved with a geometric design tied at the waist and embroidered with a fretwork motif based on the Buddhist wan symbol on the collar, the arms clasped behind the back and the hands hidden within the voluminous sleeves, the shoes just visible at the hem 38.7cm (15¼in) high
|Compare a related carved cinnabar lacquer figure of Shoulao, the God of Longevity, illustrated by D.Clifford, Chinese Carved Lacquer, London, 1992, pl.123. See a cinnabar lacquer figure of a boy, Qing Dynasty, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 13 May 2009, lot 104.