A RARE AND FINE CELADON-GLAZED BISCUIT FIGURE OF A LUOHAN, 18TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A RARE AND FINE CELADON-GLAZED BISCUIT FIGURE OF A LUOHAN, 18TH CENTURY Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 4 August 2026, based on sample number P126j90, sets the firing date of the sample taken between 190 and 290 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot. Expert’s note: It is well worth enlarging the photographs of the face, as they reveal the extraordinarily refined modeling of the biscuit porcelain. Particularly striking is the minute yet elegantly curved tongue, rendered with remarkable precision despite its microscopic scale. In the present author's experience, this level of sculptural refinement is no longer encountered in comparable works of the 19th century. China. Superbly modeled, the aged disciple seated in lalitasana with his right hand resting on the knee and holding a rosary exquisitely molded in relief, his body enveloped in a voluminous robe covered in a luminous pale grayish-green glaze. The drapery opens across the emaciated torso, the unglazed biscuit’s chalky white surface providing a striking contrast with the lustrous glaze of the robe. The meticulously carved face bears a jovial expression, the crescent eyes with black pupils and subtle crow’s feet, the mouth agape in a hearty laugh showing minuscule teeth and tongue, flanked by long pendulous earlobes, the forehead with neatly incised wrinkles below the prominent cranium. Dimensions: Height 23.3 cm Luohan, or arhats, were close personal disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha. Although they attained Buddhahood during the course of their lives, they delayed entering Nirvana and remained on earth to protect the Buddhist dharma and to aid others in seeking enlightenment according to the instruction of the Buddha. Invested with extraordinary spiritual power, they are believed to possess perfect wisdom and insight into all existence while being freed from the bonds of desires. Although they are referenced in Indian sources, arhats are not represented in the visual arts of the subcontinent. Based on the disciples of the Historical Buddha, this group of sixteen figures was first depicted in China in the tenth century. By the sixteenth century, luohans had become an important motif in secular painting and the decorative arts, where they are understood as exemplars of a cultivated, but renunciatory lifestyle. Literature comparison: Compare a related smaller biscuit porcelain figure of a monk or luohan, dated to the 18th century, 8.9 cm high, formerly in the collection of Sir Percival David and now in the British Museum, registration number PDF,A.495. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s London, 13 July 2006, lot 586 Mid-Estimate: GBP 3,500 or approx. EUR 7,200 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and glaze. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 March 2015, lot 455 Price: USD 60,000 or approx. EUR 74,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and subject. Note the different glaze and the size (40 cm incl. base).

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