17TH CENTURY

Details

AN IVORY FIGURE OF THE IMMORTAL HAN XIANGZI
17TH CENTURY
The standing figure shown playing the flute and wearing belted robes and a cloth covering tied over his topknot
6 1/8 in. (15.6 cm.) high

Literature

Lark E. Mason, Asian Art, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2002, p. 196.

Exhibited

Oriental Works of Art, Gerard Hawthorn Ltd., London, 11 - 22 June 2001, no. 47.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

Han Xiangzi, one of the Eight Daoist Immortals, is a legendary figure who is usually shown playing the flute. Unlike most portrayals of this immortal in ivory, the present figure has an unusual animated quality created by the realistic upward curve of the mouth and the slightly swayed stance, thereby managing to depict someone actually playing rather than just holding the flute. For another more static ivory figure of Han Xiangzi, where the lips are also upturned, see Selected Ivory Carvings from the Sir Victor Sassoon Chinese Ivories Trust, Phillips, London, 1999, no. 26.

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