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Lot Essay
The group, superbly carved in the round, depicts Zhong Kui seated on a rocky outcrop. He is surrounded by four little demons whom he has quelled, each in various attitudes. This artwork stands out as one of the most notable and animated bamboo carvings in private hands.
During the Qing dynasty, bamboo carvers often drew inspiration from religious and popular stories. One of the most renowned bamboo figural carvings is the carving of Luohan by Feng Xilu, an early-Qing carver from the Jiading region. now housed in the Shanghai Museum, see Zhongguo meishu quanji – gongyi meishu bian, vol. 2, Zhumu yajiao qi, no. 17 (fig. 1). Feng Xilu's carving style, characterised by its fluidity and strong expressionism, served as an inspiration for many contemporary and later carvers, including a carving of Shoulao, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, which shares several similarities to the present group, including the depiction of the facial features and the finely detailed beard, see Jiangxin yu xiangong: Ming Qing diaokezhan zhu mu guohe pian, Taipei, 2014, p. 87, no. 21 (fig. 2).
During the Qing dynasty, bamboo carvers often drew inspiration from religious and popular stories. One of the most renowned bamboo figural carvings is the carving of Luohan by Feng Xilu, an early-Qing carver from the Jiading region. now housed in the Shanghai Museum, see Zhongguo meishu quanji – gongyi meishu bian, vol. 2, Zhumu yajiao qi, no. 17 (fig. 1). Feng Xilu's carving style, characterised by its fluidity and strong expressionism, served as an inspiration for many contemporary and later carvers, including a carving of Shoulao, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, which shares several similarities to the present group, including the depiction of the facial features and the finely detailed beard, see Jiangxin yu xiangong: Ming Qing diaokezhan zhu mu guohe pian, Taipei, 2014, p. 87, no. 21 (fig. 2).