A FINELY CARVED IVORY FIGURE OF A SEATED SAGE 17TH CENTURY

the patinated ivory of variegated creamy-brown tones, carved in the round as a seated man with a long beard and moustache, his right elbow leaning against a rocky outcrop while his left hand rests on his raised left knee, wearing loose-fitting robes tied around his stomach with a sash and a cloth hat with two long ribbons falling onto his shoulders, the ribbons and the hems of the robes stained brown

A private collection, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1960.
Collection of Frank Donaldson, Tampa, Florida.
Sotheby's New York, 17th April 1985, lot 121.
The Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th April 2013, lot 126.

Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 74.

Good overall condition with just typical age cracks and surface wear. An approx 1 cm section of the base appears to have been restored.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Skilfully carved in the round, this figure is a fine example of ivory carving as seen in the sensitively modelled face and gentle folds of the robes of this figure. Figures of this type may have been created in the ivory workshops of Zhangzhou, Fujian province, where small carvings of deities, immortals or auspicious images were popular and in great demand by both domestic and foreign traders. With its emphasis on long vertical lines, it suggests it was inspired by contemporary woodblock prints. See illustrations of various immortals from the late Ming edition (c.1600) of the Lixian quanzhuang (‘The Complete Biography of the Assorted Immortals’), included in Derek Gilman, Chinese Ivories from Shang to Qing, London, 1984, figs 11-14.

The cloth hat worn by this figure, with its trailing ribbons, suggests that he may be a Daoist figure; compare a similarly clothed and bearded figure, identified as Zhongli Quan, illustrated ibid., p. 66, no. 45; and two carvings of Dongfang Shuo, included in the exhibition Chinese Ivories from the Kwan Collection, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 32, depicted wearing a similar putuo hat and long robe tied at the waist, and cat. no. 53.