AN UNUSUAL 'CHICKEN BONE' JADE FIGURE OF DONGFANG SHUO

16TH/17TH CENTURY

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AN UNUSUAL 'CHICKEN BONE' JADE FIGURE OF DONGFANG SHUO
16TH/17TH CENTURY
The bearded Daoist immortal shown holding a peach in his left hand and a branch bearing two peaches over his left shoulder while a bat with spread wings alights on his right shoulder, wearing long belted robes and a leaf-form cap, the opaque stone of mottled ivory and mottled brown color
7½ in. (19 cm.) high

Lot Essay

The legend of Dongfang Shuo has him attempting to steal one of the famous 'peaches of longevity' from the orchard of Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, whose palace was believed to be in the Kunlun mountains. The peaches were believed to ripen only once in 3,000 years and to confer immortality on anyone who ate them.

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