A CARVED BAMBOO-ROOT FIGURE OF A YAWNING LUOHAN 17TH CENTURY |

carved in the form of a luohan, possibly Pantha the Elder, yawning with his mouth wide open below faint forehead wrinkles, portrayed stretching with his hands clasped together whilst seated on jagged rockwork and dressed in loose robes

Notable for its lively rendering of a yawning luohan, this piece would have resonated with meaning amongst scholar officials of the 17th century. Bamboo sculptures of luohan functioned as reminders that enlightenment was achieved solely through devotion and merit. Compare a larger carving of a yawning luohan, signed Feng Xilu, in the Shanghai Museum, published in Wang Shixiang, Wang Shixiang ji: Zhudiao vishu [Collected works of Wang Shixiang: Bamboo carving], Beijing, 2013, fig .19; and another attributed to the 18th century, sold in these rooms, 7th April 2015, lot 3031, from the Robert H. Blumenfield collection.