A LARGE CHINESE PARCEL-GILT AND LACQUERED-BRONZE FIGURE OF AN ATTENDANT

16TH/17TH CENTURY

The attendant stands with his feet apart and turned slightly to the right, he holds a box tied with ribbon containing an official's seal with both hands before him, depicted wearing a tall hat, flowing robes and elaborate shoes, the figure highlighted in gilt, all raised on a square stepped pedestal picked out in red lacquer, 40.5cm, 7kg.

Provenance: formerly a European private collection.

The figure is probably the attendant of a Daoist official and would have been positioned by the side of a larger statue of his master.

Cf. Roger Keverne, Winter Exhibition 2010, p.26, no.22 for a Ming dynasty bronze figure of an attendant raised on a similar pedestal; see also Christie's London, 10th November 2015, lot 247 for a related 17th century lacquered and gilt-bronze model of a warrior; see also R Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, pp.82-85, nos.64, 65 and 69 for comparable smaller Ming dynasty bronze standing figures.