18TH-19TH CENTURY

Li Bai (AD 701-762) was the foremost poet of the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) and, together with Du Fu, remains one of the most famous poets in Chinese history. His ambition to serve the Emperor Huizong as a statesman was thwarted when the Emperor employed him as a palace poet composing mundane lyrics for the Court. Frustrated, he left the Court and spent the rest of his life wandering the country and indulging in his love for wine.
A similar depiction of Li Bai, drunken and leaning against a wine jar, can be seen in soapstone figure dated to the 18th-19th century from the Irving Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2019, lot 1184.