Taoist male deity - Lot 50

Taoist male deity China, probably Hunan, Qing Dynasty, circa 18th - 19th century Wood with polychrome remains. H. 98 cm The figure is shown seated, his feet resting on lions. The positioning of his hands may indicate that he was originally holding a weapon. He could therefore be an aspect of the lord Guan Guangong / Guanyu frequently depicted wielding a halberd, or a deified ancestor associated with him. Glass eyes, a cavity intended to house a consecration is present on the back. This beautiful sculpture appears to come from the same original group as female deity no. 51. Provenance : - French private collection Exhibitions : - Démons et merveilles, arts traditionnels de la Chine et du Tibet" Abbaye de Saint-Riquier (80) 1995 - 2000 years of Chinese art". Musée de Saint-Antoine l'Abbaye, Isère 2000 - A la vie, à la mort. Objects and rites of protection in ancient China" Musée d'histoire de la médecine. Paris 2014/2015