A superb parcel-gilt soapstone figure of a Luohan, Qing dynasty, 18th century | 清十八世紀 壽山石雕羅漢坐像

Brilliantly carved with an exceptional aesthetic and intrinsic charm, the present bearded luohan reveals the superb quality of high Qing workmanship. Compare other similar figural sculptures of luohan, usually seated on elaborate cushions or rockwork bases, such as one included in the exhibition Arts from the Scholar’s Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 44; a figure holding a lion cub and seated on a stepped platform incised with lotus sprays, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 4th April 2012, lot 136; one in the National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, published in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan, Jinyin yushi juan [Compendium of Chinese art. gold, silver, jade and stone], Hong Kong, 1994, p. 83, pl. 242; and a fourth example, included in the exhibition In Scholar's Taste, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1983, cat. no. 123.