A rare large amber figure of  a daoist immortal, 17th-18th century.  Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2012

Finely carved standing with right hand raised and left pendent by his side within the long sleeve of his layered, belted robes, with long beard, his hair gathered under a cloth cap; 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm.) high, wood stand. Estimate $30,000 - $40,000 

明末/清中期 琥珀雕仙人立像

Provenance: Gerard Hawthorn Ltd., London, 1999.

Exhibited: Gods and Mortals, Gerard Hawthorn Ltd., London, 9 - 20 November 1999, no. 23. 

Notes: It is rare to find figures of this type and size carved from amber. A smaller (4½ in. high) figure of a female immortal dated to the 18th century is illustrated by David A. Grimaldi, Amber: Window to the Past, American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1996, p. 197. Two others of 18th/19th century date are illustrated by B. Till and P. Swart in Soul of the Tiger - Chinese Amber Carvings from the Reif Collection, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1999, nos. 26 (Shoulao) and 27 (seated Guanyin). These latter figures do not share the sensitivity of carving of the present figure which is closer stylistically to ivory figures of 17th/18th century date, such as the smaller (9.8 cm.) ivory figure illustrated in The Palace Museum Collection of Elite Carvings, Beijing, 2002, p. 156, no. 114, which is dated late Ming. 

Christie's. Auspicious Treasures for Scholars and Emperors: Selections from the Robert H. Blumenfield Collection, 22 March 2012, New York, Rockefeller Plaza