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Important Winter Sale 645 Stockholm10401042
1041
1378663

A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).

A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).
Estimate
10 000 - 15 000 SEK
919 - 1 380 EUR
940 - 1 410 USD
Hammer price
8 000 SEK
Purchasing info
For condition report contact specialist
Cecilia Nordström
Stockholm
Cecilia Nordström
Senior specialist Asian Ceramics and Works of Art, European Ceramics and Glass
+46 (0)739 40 08 02
→ Sell with Bukowskis
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A Chinese blanc de chine/dehua figure of a Zhenwu, late Ming dynasty (17th century).

The figure is modelled with a downward gaze. The armour is detailed and the folds of the fabric are finely depicted. His right hand is making a downward sign and his left hand rests upon his sword. He is seated in a powerful stance on a rocky base above a turtle and snake nestled in a grotto. Height 24 cm.

Cracks. Fingers and part of the snake missing. Firing defects.

Provenance

The Collection of Ivan Traugott (I.T. 732). Purchased at Pergamenter, Berlin 1917. Traugott was a Swedish businessman and important art collector. A large part of his collections can be seen today at Nationalmuseum and Östasiatiska museet, in

Exhibitions

Compare a similar figure in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, Accession Number: 79.2.481.

Literature

The figure is depicted on page 121 in Svenska Hem i ord och bild, from 1920.

The tortoise at the base of the sculpture identifies this figure as Zhenwu, an important Daoist deity who also was worshipped in Buddhist traditions. Zhenwu became particularly popular during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), when he was revered as a protector of both the state and the imperial family. His role as a guardian reflects his association with the north, the direction from which China was constantly threatened by neighboring peoples from Central Asia.