17TH/18TH CENTURY

The height of soapstone carving in Fujian province, particularly around Fuzhou, was in the second half of the seventeenth century. This is when the great masters of the art such as Zhou Bin and Yang Yuxuan flourished. These soapstone carvings no doubt influenced later works, as Buddhist subject matter continued to remain popular well into the eighteenth century.

A soapstone carving of a luohan with a dragon was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29 October 1995, lot 545