[av_heading heading=’Chinese gilt bronze Luohan figure commands nearly $1M at Dumouchelles’ tag=’h1′ style=” subheading_active=” show_icon=” icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ size=” av-desktop-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” subheading_size=” av-desktop-font-size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” icon_size=” av-desktop-font-size-1=” av-medium-font-size-1=” av-small-font-size-1=” av-mini-font-size-1=” color=” custom_font=” subheading_color=” seperator_color=” icon_color=” margin=’,,35px,’ av-desktop-margin=” av-desktop-margin_sync=’true’ av-medium-margin=” av-medium-margin_sync=’true’ av-small-margin=’,,20px,’ av-mini-margin=” av-mini-margin_sync=’true’ headline_padding=” headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-desktop-headline_padding=” av-desktop-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-medium-headline_padding=” av-medium-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-small-headline_padding=” av-small-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-mini-headline_padding=” av-mini-headline_padding_sync=’true’ padding=’10’ av-desktop-padding=” av-medium-padding=” av-small-padding=” av-mini-padding=” icon_padding=’10’ av-desktop-icon_padding=” av-medium-icon_padding=” av-small-icon_padding=” av-mini-icon_padding=” link=” link_target=” title_attr=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-lo8xi77k’ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]
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DETROIT – A spectacular Chinese bronze surfaced at DuMouchelles on October 20. Although cataloged as Ming-style, the large gilt-bronze figure of a Luohan was thought to be from the late Song or Yuan period. Estimated at $10,000-$20,000, it hammered for $750,000 and sold for $967,500, including a 29% buyer’s premium. The sale was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.
As Buddha’s apostles, Luohan were depicted in Chinese art from the Tang dynasty onwards. This figure, measuring 2ft 7in high, is shown seated in Padmasana, wearing a Han-style monk’s robe. The right hand symbolizes the dispelling of sickness or negative thoughts, while the left hand with the palm held up signifies the act of teaching or reassurance. The character mark on the overhanging robe possibly indicates the statue’s order of placement within a temple.
The superb casting and style of this figure is very similar to a few recorded examples that have been dated to the end of the Song dynasty (960-1279) and the Mongol-led Yuan state that lasted from 1271 to 1368. Similar sculptures of the period were also made in and ceramic and wood.
The bronze had been kept in a local garage for years before being brought to DuMouchelles. Joe Walker, president of the auction house, recounted, “When this rare bronze was brought in, we knew it was special. The craftsmanship of the hands and face, its heft, and the fine patina acquired over hundreds of years all pointed to it being a significant early piece.”
The quest to understand the statue’s provenance led DuMouchelles to contact the Tsz Shan Monastery Museum in Hong Kong, where a similar bronze is displayed. Research suggested both Luohans may have originated from the same set based on similar-ordered placement inscriptions found on their overhanging robes. A third bronze seated on an identical wooden base that may not be original to the piece is in the collection of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, and was acquired by the institution in 1914.
This bronze is closely related to one sold at Christie’s twice in living memory: first in New York in 2001, before the Chinese market ‘boom,’ where it took $112,500, and then in Hong Kong in 2016, when its value had spiraled to HK$34.14 million (a sum close to $4 million). As they share similar animated gestures, quality of portraiture and the treatment of the fluid folds of drapery, it is possible that they may have come from the same set.
The winning bidder for the Luohan was an Asian art gallery that sent specialists to preview and bid in-person.
DuMouchelles’ sculpture came from the estate of Barbara Jean and Kerry Nicholl of Harrison Township, Michigan. A detailed video showed its fine condition (the right index finger was detached and the tip of the left pinky finger was missing) and the quality of its modeling. The auction house concluded it was “a very high-quality bronze whose age could be older than the description indicates.”
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Large Chinese gilt-bronze figure of a Luohan, estimated at $10,000-$20,000, which hammered for $750,000 and sold for $967,500 at DuMouchelles.
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Another angle on a large Chinese gilt-bronze figure of a Luohan. Estimated at $10,000-$20,000, it hammered for $750,000 and sold for $967,500 at DuMouchelles.
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Detail of a large Chinese gilt-bronze figure of a Luohan, estimated at $10,000-$20,000, which hammered for $750,000 and sold for $967,500 at DuMouchelles.
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Detail of a large Chinese gilt-bronze figure of a Luohan, estimated at $10,000-$20,000, which hammered for $750,000 and sold for $967,500 at DuMouchelles.
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Detail of a large Chinese gilt-bronze figure of a Luohan, estimated at $10,000-$20,000, which hammered for $750,000 and sold for $967,500 at DuMouchelles.
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