| DESCRIPTION: A very rare, early Sung Dynasty sculpture, crafted from a dark stone in the form of a "lotus boy" image, his head resting upon a gourd-like pillow, and knees bent. This figure sleeps on a large lotus leaf and functions somewhat as a fertility figure, symbolizing a wish for sons. The wear on this sculpture shows the patina of repeated handling, resulting in surfaces that are almost smooth and darkened from the natural oils of touching. This piece may have originally been used as a weight, and is the perfect size for the scholar’s table. DIMENSIONS: 9” long x appx. 4 ½” wide x 3 ¾” high.
HISTORICAL/CULTURAL BACKGROUND: The Sung Dynasty (in Pinyin, Song), 960 – 1279 A.D., ended the chaotic period of the Five Dynasties in North China. It was founded when Chao K'uang-yin, the military inspector general of the Chou dynasty, usurped control of the empire in a coup. With the Sung began one of the most brilliant and prosperous cultural epochs of China, considered the beginning of China's early modern age. The Sung is notable for establishing political, social, economic, and cultural patterns that remained largely unaltered in China for a millennium. It saw the final demise of the old aristocratic domination of government, replacing the aristocrats with a new group, the scholar-gentry class. Their power came from landholding and long years of educational training, which furthered the growth of literature and the arts. For over three hundred years under Sung rule, China enjoyed a period of economic growth coupled with great artistic and intellectual achievement. For this reason the period is referred to as the Chinese Renaissance, comparing it with the Renaissance that spread through Europe.
Price: $1,850 Stock #JHS91 |
