17TH-18TH CENTURY

The depiction of the sage with a basket of herbs or flowers indicates that the subject of this carving could be the immortal Lan Caihe or Han Xiang. Han Xiang, a follower of Lu Dongbin, is frequently depicted carrying a basket of flowers, while Lan Caihe was granted immortality for using his basket of medicinal herbs to treat Li Tieguai when he was disguised as a beggar.

Compare a very similar caving depicting the same sage with a basket in the Palace Museum, Beijing illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 44 - Bamboo, Wood and Ivory Carvings, Hong Kong, 2002, p. 44, no. 42.