Shou-lao Carved Bamboo Pot. Chinese Work From The 19th Century Or Before. Qing Or Ming Dynasty

Bamboo pot carved with several characters from Chinese mythology evolving in a raised garden. One can easily recognize Shoulao, god of longevity, accompanied by his deer and holding the peach of immortality in his right hand and his stick in the left. The deer holds in its mouth a Lingzhi mushroom of immortality. The work is important, the sculptures do not have the perfect but cutesy aesthetic of the 18th century and would suggest that this pot is a late popular clumsy creation. However the characters are powerful, as well as the trees and the rocks and this announces a sculpture prior to the Qing which an excellent very old patina confirms. It is not unreasonable to date this pot to the Ming period. Two slits that have not crossed the body of the pot. Insect holes visible below and formerly plugged with wax on the upper edge. Good condition, complete, no repairs but worn.