19th Century Chinese Carved Wood Sculpture

Description

Antique hand carved wood sculpture from China, depicting a soldier or perhaps an ancestor, standing on one leg next to … more Antique hand carved wood sculpture from China, depicting a soldier or perhaps an ancestor, standing on one leg next to a fish. The polychrome statue dates to the 1850s (or older) and was purchased at an antique store in Wuxi, China, in the 1980s. This was a lucky statue; the fish is a symbol of good fortune or a wish for prosperity. In his hand, the man holds a round gold coin with a square hole in the middle. The statue is in good condition for its age. It still has a lot of red and gold paint left, though there is crazing and crackling. It has a few chips in the wood (including on the belt ties, nose, around the hair tips, part of the robe), and there are also a few cracks in the wood, particularly on the right leg. There is gold paint on some of the chipped areas, suggesting it was at least partially repainted at some point (please see photos). It also has the remnants of a tan wax seal on the tail of the robe (indicating it was legal to export this). less