Soapstone figure of a louhan
Kangxi period, 1662 – 1722
Height: 14.5 cm | 5 11/16 in
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The laughing figure, carved from a glowing amber coloured stone with red inclusions, sits in a relaxed form of lila asana; his right arm rests on his raised knee, the left hand placed on the back of a grinning tiger – seated on its haunches, at his side. He wears loose fitting robes that leave his chest exposed; the robes are decorated with lotus borders, and roundels engraved with camellia sprigs. The louhan’s large head is turned slightly to the right; his fat ear lobes are adorned with hoop earrings – his full cheeks and irregular cranium engraved with stippled hair and a moustache. The separate base is of rectangular form and canted at the corners; its top surface is decorated with a diaper ground – the rounded, faceted sides engraved with cartouches of flowers against a watery background.
Similar example: Zhongguo meishu quanji, diaosu bian 6, Yuan Ming Qing diaosu, Beijing, 1988 – plate 157: from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing.
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