A BAMBOO-ROOT FIGURE OF A LUOHAN, SIGNED WANGYUN 17TH / 18TH CENTURY

finely carved in the round, the ascetic seated on a jagged and pierced rocky outcrop with the left leg pendent and right leg raised and bent, holding an alms bowl filled with pine needles in the left hand, the right hand raising a cluster of pine needles towards the mouth, the well-defined face with a joyful expression, wearing a long loose robe falling open revealing the emaciated torso, incised with a two-character mark reading Wang Yun, the bamboo a warm reddish-brown color

The carving is in good overall condition. There are two small chips to the back of the figure, one along the edge of the shawl, the other to the robe. There is a short split to the top of the rockwork base at the back. The surface with expected wear. The color of the wood is a bit more of a reddish-brown than shown in the catalogue image.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This compelling piece is notable for its naturalistic carving which successfully represents the emancipated luohan through his highly expressive facial features. The unusual subject matter may refer to a rare type of Buddhist practitioner known as a Jishenfo. The discipline involves subsistence on seeds, tree bark and pine needles. This demanding form of abstinence seems to have been more popular in Japan. A smaller bamboo carving of a luohan, similarly depicted seated on rockwork, from the collection of Feng-lo Chu-jen, was included in the exhibition Chinese Bamboo Carving, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1982, vol. 2, cat. no. 93; another, from the collection of Dr Ip Yee, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 24th May 1985, lot 428; and a third, from the P.D. Krolik collection, was sold in our London rooms, 24th February 1970, lot 56.

This piece is inscribed with the apocryphal name Wang Yun, a bamboo carver who appears to have been active in the late Ming dynasty. A bamboo cup signed by Wang Yun, and inscribed with a cyclical date corresponding to 1580, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 8.

Luohan, the Chinese term for arhat, were enlightened monks regarded as holy figures or saints. According to Jessica Rawson in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to Qing, London, 1995, p. 410, ‘the cult of luohan, who retreated to meditate in mountainous landscapes, probably developed in China from the mid-seventh century AD. It was shared with the monastic tradition in Central Asia, which may even have inspired some of the settings’.