Thursday, January 14, 2016

Two Especially Appealing Chinese Statuettes

Budai wishes everyone a Happy 2016!


Often the objects I collect have a strange or outlandish quality to them, an edge that greatly appeals to me. Chinese antiques fall naturally into this category, with their numerous dragons, bats, demons, and intricate carvings that age has dimmed and transformed.  

For the first post in 2016, I decided to present two small statuettes that are outstanding instead for their visual charm. Chinese statues form a large field, and while museums feature those made of bronze, stone or polished hardwoods, I am most attracted to those made from painted wood.

The slightly muted colors of red, orange, yellow and green, often accented with gold, are familiar on these statues, the colors becoming even more subdued as the figures stand on altars and are exposed to the smoke of burning incense. The two statues below are small, about three or four inches high, and carved from fragrant softwood, perhaps some form of cedar.

(As always, click on images to enlarge.)
 
Above is a diminutive figure of Budai, often known as the Laughing Buddha. This fat, bald, smiling character is often shown with many small children upon him, and as such is one of the mainstays of Chinese decoration. Because of his name and appearance he is often confused or combined with a number of Buddhist deities. 

The carving in this piece has a naïve, folk-like style. His back is straight, but he is also leaning at an odd angle, making him difficult to photograph effectively. Chinese statues often have decorated bases, but the simple band, as seen from the side, evokes the tree branch from which it is carved, and is appropriate for the simple monk's life led by the original Budai.

The name Budai literally means Cloth Bag, and this bag containing his few possessions is typically shown at his side, as it is here, highlighted in swirled red and yellow.

The back of the figurine features Budai’s bald head and yellow robe.

The bottom of the statuette, showing the texture of the soft wood.

The appeal of the following statue of a child derives from the skill and sophistication of its carving. Children are common subjects in Chinese art, although it is unusual to find a free-standing figure of a baby or toddler. Children are often represented as attendants for various deities, especially for Guan Yin, the goddess of compassion and mercy. 
  
This child is depicted with a forward stance, wearing only an apron-like garment. If you look closely, he has little hair, except for a circular tuft in the middle. This was the traditional style for small children, and even today this haircut can occasionally be seen, especially as Chinese New Year approaches. The simplicity of the gilded apron contrasts strongly with the elaborate patterns and embroidery on most of the clothing found in Chinese art.

 
Child attendants are often depicted with various offerings, such as food, drink, yuan bao (gold ingots), or other lucky objects, but here the gesturing hands are empty and not intended to hold anything. The side view emphasizes the plumpness of the young child, in his limbs, his stomach—even the creases where the apron is tied at the middle. The base is a simple black band, very similar to the Budai, although it is dressed up a bit by the offset red platform on which the child stands.


The back of the figure features very little in the way of clothing, reminding us of the extreme youth of this attendant. The plainness also emphasizes the expert carving of the tied bows. These are the only intricate details on this piece, serving to remind us of its overall simplicity and gentle curves.

I hope you have enjoyed these two statuettes, which while probably not of great significance in the broader sense, I feel are two of the highlights of my collection. Accurate depictions of babies or toddlers are rare, and this one is suffused with a special personality and charm. The Budai, likewise, has a happy, simple aura which reminds us in an increasingly complex world that enlightenment and contentment come from within.




(All photographs and original objects property of the author.)

23 comments:

  1. Happy new year to you too! Enjoyed reading the background about these objects I would otherwise not be familiar with.

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    1. One of the main reasons I collect is in order to investigate objects' backgrounds. In the case of the child statue, the jury is still out, since he could have belonged to a number of statue-groups. --Jim

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  2. Happy New Year!!

    I suppose if art objects are not valuable financially or historically, and they have no useful function, we have to ask why they were made. For tourists perhaps, to take home as a memory. For birthday presents or New Year Day thank-you gifts to the hostess.

    I have a number of loved items that will be never accepted by the National Gallery when I shuffle off this mortal coil, but they are there because of some moment in my life.

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    1. Hello Hels, This was a classic case of "I bought these because I liked them." I sometimes consider the future disposition of my objects, and like most collectors find the prospects bleak--but I get enormous pleasure now from owning them, and even when they have to be put away in storage, I know that they are there.

      Since your collection was built and researched by you, even if it did end up in the National Gallery, no visitor could look upon it with the same appreciation. --Jim

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  3. Happy New Year to you, Jim! What a wonderful start to 2016, a post from you on objects I would have otherwise not had a clue about. How old do you think these charming pieces are? I like the fact they are both made of wood and that their bases emphasize their humble beginnings.

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    1. Hello CD, The fun of blogs is seeing and learning from each other's collections. I know I have gleaned many tips from your blog that will help me when I am looking back in America, or with luck, England and Europe.

      It is notoriously difficult to date objects that are entirely hand-made.The style and patina on these definitely marks them as old, but I am leaving it at that for now. --Jim

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  4. Hello Jim - at first glance your two little statuettes appear to have a naive quality to them, but the child in particular is in fact quite detailed and very charming. Do you think that he once held something in his hands? The forward stance of the right foot reminds me of Egyptian and Greek statues, except in their case it was always the left foot that was in a forward stance.

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    1. Hello Rosemary, Often, the hands of statues are carved integral with some object, or are pierced with open space between the thumb and fingers for holding some implement, perhaps a weapon or offering. However, the hands of the child statue are carved solid, meaning that they likely never held anything.

      I never thought about the stance on Chinese statues, but now I will start looking for it. I know that many have one leg in the air, giving a sense of balance and movement. --Jim

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  5. As ever, I am grateful for what I learn from your posts. I have various Buddhas scattered around the flat - ceramic, blanc de chine, wooden (miniature), in a zushi, bone, ivory and then several Burmese and Thai in whole or part, but the latter residing rather forlornly in storage in Scotland where they have been since we moved here 12 years ago. They were not easy to export from Thailand, so I didn't want to go through that rigmarole again, which I thought likely at some stage, but now, who knows.

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    1. Hello Columnist, I am sure that all of your Buddha figures are fine and important pieces--in fact, I have admired some of them that were featured in your posts. I also have the problem of many antiques in storage in multiple locations, and no disposition seems suitable because of uncertainty in future plans. How I would love to be able to have around me some of my favorite collections and objects now packed away in Ohio. --Jim

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  6. Hello Jim,
    I'm amazed by the detail in the carvings of these two diminutive figures. Although somewhat naive in style, they are very well done. Especially the standing child - look at his chubby limbs! The patina on both is fabulous and just right. Thanks for sharing.
    Cheers,
    L

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    1. Hello Loi, These figures always make me smile. Often statues sit on altars until they turn a uniform black--a situation often seen in local temples in which the altars are crowded with blackened statues. These were more likely in a home, and so not subject to so much incense. --Jim

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  7. Dearest Jim,
    Always great for coming to your very unique and excellent history lessons with some rare examples. Indeed, the word Budai and the Cloth Bag do stand out for the first statue. It must have been very hard for the rather course grained wood, aside from being soft, to carve with such precision. The character is very well cut out! One can only admire such art work.
    Also the toddler is very intricately carved and as you already emphasized, those tied bows in the back are amazing!
    Thanks for sharing them with us and yes, with the age long impact from burning incense, such antique pieces gain in character and they are telling us a strong story.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Hello Mariette, I cannot even draw, so carving remains a mystery indeed to me. You are right in pointing out the difficulties of carving small objects in soft wood. The Chinese love miniature detailed carvings, but usually in hard, smooth materials like jade or boxwood-- and even nutshells!

      So often the most intricate carving is displayed on the front of the statue, where it can be readily seen, but on the child statue the front is left plain, and with remarkable restraint, the tour-de-force carving of the bows is hidden to most viewers. --Jim

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  8. Hi Jim,

    These are both so warm and charming. I adore them. True treasures.
    And such a treat to return from a weekend away and find a post from you!

    Happy New Year!

    Jennifer

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    1. Hello Jennifer, Thank you for your kind words. As I said, these are a little out of my usual line, but I always smile when I see them. --Jim

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  9. Thanks so much for your kind words on Lostpast. Do get the book on Googlebooks. It was incredibly informative and funny at the same time it covered the minutiae of life at the time -- Jonathan Harker's time. Btw, the recipes were really good!!

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    1. Hello Deana, I got some of the books you mentioned at the time of your last article, and I just downloaded A Bachelor's Cupboard--although I did get it on the user-friendlier site Open Library.
      --Jim

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  10. Dear Jim,

    I always enjoy seeing your choices in collecting, and these two are especially charming — a word that has been used often in the comments, I see. I wonder whether the child was actually paired to a seperately carved god, like the figures of a crèche?

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    1. Hello Mark, Sometimes guardians, attendants or other companion figures are carved integrally with the main god or figure, but often they are carved separately, and then one must look for evidence in the details to decide whether they originally belonged together. Often a baby is seated upon or embraced by the larger figure--this is about the youngest child I have seen carved as a separate, standing figure. The answer, as usual, is to examine as many examples as possible, looking for parallel situations. --Jim

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  11. Such a beautifully expressed post, Jim, especially your description of that lovely plump child. Your words added to my enjoyment of each piece immensely. Thank you.

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    1. Hello Barbara, I thought you would enjoy the toddler statue. I have been thinking about you lately during the big storm, and hope you didn't get it too badly where you live. --Jim

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    2. Oh, we got fourteen inches which effectively shut the state down for a few days. We have our own snow removal equipment so didn't have to wait days for our road to be cleared by the county/state. And then temps went into the fifties and everything melted away!
      And I assume the earthquake did no damage in Taipei?

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I would love to know what you think. Please feel free to comment--no tricky security words required! Any difficulties or questions, email at: clavicytherium@yahoo.com