清十七／十八世紀 竹根雕臥獸

the one-horned mythical beast, with a dog-like head and the body of a chilong, crouching on its three-clawed front paws, its spine undulating with the rear-end of its body raised off the ground, its head turned back towards its right flank, the bifid tail divided on either side of its flanks and terminating in long, curling, concentric circles, the bamboo of pale, yellowish-brown colour with darker speckling; hardwood stand

The overall condition is very good.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although the present finely carved figure of a mythical beast is unsigned, there are a number of features that suggest that it may be by the same hand as a bamboo carving of a group of nine chilong from the collection of Ip Yee illustrated in Ip Yee and Laurence C.S. Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, part I, Hong Kong, 1978, front cover col. pl. 29 and pl. 103. The Ip figure is fashioned from a similar pale and speckled bamboo, with the larger of the dragons bearing an identical distinctively coiled bifid tail. The beasts are also three-clawed and have short muscular legs, suggesting the possibility that the present example may depict a stylized chilong as well.

While the Ip carving is clearly a brush-rest, the function of this figure remains uncertain. It was possibly made as a brush-rest, or more likely, as a small curio object or 'plaything' for the scholar's desk.

Compare another group of carved chilong amongst tumultuous waves, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, included in William Watson and Chuimei Ho, The Arts of China After 1620, New Haven, 2007, p. 53, fig. 61, perhaps also by the same artist as the present figure. A well carved bamboo group of dragons comprising of a large mother dragon with a bifid tail with eight young clambering baby dragons across her back, was offered in our New York rooms, 18th May 1980, lot 21; and a carving of two dragons fashioned in a related manner, was sold in our London rooms, 18th November 1998, lot 899.