A gilt and polychrome-lacquered figure of Daoist divinity, Late Ming dynasty. Estimate US$2,000 - 3,000 (€1,800 - 2,700). Photo: Bonhams.

Dressed in the ribboned cap, belt and voluminous robe of an official as he sits upon a crescent-shaped bench with projecting foot rest beneath his boots, the surfaces colored in a combination of red, black and gilt lacquers. 6 1/2in (16.5cm) high

Note: This subtle figure could represent one of the deities most popular as the subject matter of late Ming carving, Wen Chang or Guandi. Seated figures of Wen Chang, the god of literature, wear a simple scholar's cap in the various media from the Ming period. However the scholar's cap on this lot is fronted with an up-turned visor associated with the martial deity Guandi. For examples, see the Oriental Ceramic Society and British Museum exhibition, Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing, 1984: ivory seated figures of Wen Chang with simple hat, fig.103 and 104, p. 98; ivory standing figure with visor, identified as possibly Wen Chang, fig. 105, p. 99; a bronze standing figural group of Guandi with visor and Wen Chang with simple cap, fig. 116, p. 105; and a Dehua porcelain figure of standing Guandi with visor fronting his cap, fig. 118, p. 106.

BONHAMS. CHINESE PAINTINGS AND WORKS OF ART, 14 Sep 2015 10:00 EDT - NEW YORK