A large lacquered wood figure of a Confucian disciple - Late Yuan/early Ming dynasty

The carved seated figure with legs pendant, his hands raised before his chest holding a tablet, wearing long flowing robes with remnants of polychrome lacquer representing a dragon design, tied around the waist with a belt, the downcast face with serene expression, remnants of a moustache and beard and high sage cap with mirrored roundel, a panel in his back reveals an aperture enclosing remnants of paper and cloth, stand (old losses). 108cm (42½in) high. (5) - Estimate: £35,000 - 45,000

Provenance: Thomas Beckert, Virginia, USA.

As early as the Tang dynasty, painted and sculpted images of Confucius and of other luminaries of the literati tradition were given sacrificial offerings at the imperial court. However, there was opposition to this practice, which was seen as imitative of Buddhist temples and it was argued that the principle practice in imperial temples was to honour Confucius's teachings, not the man himself. In 1530, the Ming dynasty Jiajing emperor decreed that all existing images of Confucius and his disciples should be replaced with memorial tablets in imperial temples in the capital and other bureaucratic locations. There do not appear to be any other examples carved after this period, making late Yuan/early Ming examples such as the current lot all the rarer.

The dating of this lot is consistent with the results of a carbon dating test, Archaeolabs TL, test no. FH-05-31-01-C14, where the sample is dated between 1305 and 1444 (68% probability of the date falling between 1375 and 1444).

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Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art, 12 May 2008. New Bond Street