China, a carved and painted wood figure of an anthropomorphic tomb guardian, 32.5cm, 13” high and 15cm, 6” in width, late Tang to Song dynasty (618-1279 CE)

the sophisticated soft wood guardian figure carved from one log with muscular and sculpted fore legs, angular nose, curvaceous horns, delicate lips finely picked out all over in black lines and painted in hues of yellow, vermillion, and black with a swirling painted hair motif on chest and face and mane, an undetermined regal style emblem on the front of the top appendage, curled tail to the lower of one side, slender leaf like ears, frontal design resembling ornamental circular discs on its chest with the whole sitting four square and in tact.

Formerly exhibited “Asia Week” New York City, Fuller Building, Zabriskie Gallery, 2008.

Provenance: old Lanzhou collection originally found in the area of Wuwei City, Gansu Province.

On October 20, 1990 an article was originally published in a Wuwei, Gansu Province newspaper about a discovery of a series of tombs and their numerous wooden artifact contents. In 2001, an “Explanation of Wu-wei Cultural Relics” was published by Dang Shousan: Wuweishi Guangming yinshua wuzi youxian gongsi.” In its translation we find an account of how some two hundred wooden burial figurines were unearthed and the majority were preserved in “good condition, some like new.” “The larger wood carvings of carts, horses, oxen figurines and so forth were usually carved in separate sections for the head, body, and tails, and then glued together or inlaid. The smaller figures, however, were constructed from one single log. The characteristics of carvings are extremely obvious. First of all, their shapes/ modeling are succinct. The wooden burial figurines that were carved have clear modeling, a strong sense of solidity, and a particularly hearty and invigorating artistic work-style. Second, their coloring is lucid and lively. The colors of the wooden figurines and the simplicity of their modeling make them unified wholes and give them powerful artistic charm. All the wooden figurines have fine decorations carved on them, using painted lines and dots to draw them out, strengthening the sense of form and movement and creating an artistic effort of complementing one another. Third is the genius of materials. The carvers laid emphasis on harmony of the patterns, structure and shapes in the wood they used for their wooden figurines so that all parts were unified and identical….. Fourth, they have lively bearing….the makers were skilled at expressing animals at various stages of movement and action according to the circumstances…..”

Additional References: a) A carved and painted guardian warrior 86cm, 33 7/8”h and a carved and painted female figure, 29.5cm, 11 5/8”h from tomb of Zhang Xiong and his wife, Astana, Turfan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 1973, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum b) fragments of painted wooden tomb figures in court dress were discovered in 1985 at Yanchi in Ningxia province, northwestern China, illustrated in Wenwu, 1988, No. 9, pp.43-56. c) William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, exhibition at the Portland Museum in 1976 pair of wooden female attendants in catalog entitled Masterworks in Wood: China and Japan, Portland Art Museum, 1976, pp. 28-29, no. 8, dated to the Sui dynasty, circa A.D. 600. d) J.J. Lally & Co., Oriental Art exhibition catalog , ANCIENT CHINESE TOMB SCULPTURE, 2004, pp. 15-20. for examples of wooden court ladies and military official figures e) T.K. Asian Antiques exhibition 2004, Rare pair of wood horses with replaced legs, Hubei Province, early Western Han, 17.5”-19” in length. Museum conservator’s stabilization report available. f) Schneible Fine Art/Arts & Crafts Gallery LLC exhibition, Zabriskie Gallery, New York “Asia Week”, March 2008