MID-17TH CENTURY

A similar Dehua figure of comparable size, dated mid-17th century, and described as a figure of a bearded sage, is illustrated by R. Kerr and J. Ayers, Blanc de Chine; Porcelain from Dehua, Chicago, 2002, no. 22, where it is dated mid-17th century, and where the resemblance to Laozi, the founder of Daoism, is suggested. The two figures are very similar, except for the scroll held in the left hand of the latter figure.