18th/19th century, signed Hongyu
The Immortal is seated in a relaxed pose leaning against a rock with one knee raised. He is clad in loose robes open to reveal his chest and belly and wearing open sandals. His left hand is holding the tip of his beard while his right arm supports a young attendant who is standing wide-legged on the top of the rock. On his shoulder he carries a leafy branch bearing four peaches. His face shows a happy satisfied smile. The back of the attendant is signed Hongyu zuo 宏裕作 followed by a seal. The patina is of a warm honey colour. The base has an old label inscribed in German 'Bambu Figurer' (bamboo figure).
Height 9 cm
Zhang Hongyu was active as a bamboo carver around the Jiaqing to Daoguang periods (c. 1796-1860). A bamboo carving by this artist was included in the Exhibition 'Art of the Iron Brush, Bamboo Carvings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties', University Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong, April 2019, and illustrated on the front cover of the catalogue.
Dong Fangshuo (c. 160-93 B.C.) was a Han dynasty scholar-official who became legendary for stealing and consuming peaches of Immortality from the garden of Xi Wangmu, Queen mother of the West, thus becoming immortal.
WF 106 十八∕十九世紀 宏裕款 竹雕東方朔
時代：18/19世紀。
特徵：整器以竹雕為東方朔倚石坐像，東方朔身穿長袍，袒胸露腹，頭側左而微笑，一肩夾著桃枝，左手撫長鬚，右臂扶著一位站在岩石上的年輕侍者。器背刻「宏裕作」印款，底座舊標籤上有德文Bambu Figurer (竹製人像)。
尺寸：高9公分。
