Lü Dongbin And Lan Caihe – Cloisonné Pair, China, Qing Dynasty, 19th Century
Pair of Chinese sculptures depicting Lü Dongbin and Lan Caihe, two of the Eight Taoist Immortals, made of cloisonné enamel on a copper alloy / bronze base with gilded details. China, Qing Dynasty, 19th century, circa 1850–1900. The two figures, measuring 79 and 76 cm in height, are offered as a set.
Lü Dongbin is depicted as a bearded scholar wearing a tall, formal headdress. Lan Caihe carries a basket of flowers and adopts a lively, asymmetrical pose. Their robes feature a polychrome decoration dominated by turquoise, enriched with red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white. The red medallions depict the An Baxian, the symbolic attributes of the Eight Immortals; a dragon adorns Lü Dongbin’s garment.
The heavy metal bodies combine sculptural modeling with cloisonné and enamel work. The undersides are sealed with attached metal plates. The 1stBuddha study dossier includes general views, macro photographs, and microscopic images of the edges and joints of the back plates. The dating to circa 1850–1900 is based on an examination of the construction, technique, style, and surfaces.
One plate bears the six-character mark 大清乾隆年製, corresponding to the Qianlong reign. This mark is apocryphal: it does not constitute an attribution to the 18th century.
Condition: signs of age, pitting, small areas of missing enamel, loss of gilding, and brown to greenish oxidation. The faces were regilded at a later date; the neck, hair, hands, and other metal parts retain an older patina. This restoration is part of the group’s conservation history.
According to the oral provenance account, the pair was in Europe as early as the 1960s, is said to have belonged to a Chinese restaurateur, and then remained for several decades in the same private collection until the owner’s death in 2024. This provenance is presented as an oral tradition.
Lü Dongbin: height 79 cm, width 29 cm, weight 20.8 kg. Lan Caihe: height 76 cm, width 34 cm, weight 20.2 kg. Total weight: 41 kg. Price for the pair. Reference: 809.
Lü Dongbin is depicted as a bearded scholar wearing a tall, formal headdress. Lan Caihe carries a basket of flowers and adopts a lively, asymmetrical pose. Their robes feature a polychrome decoration dominated by turquoise, enriched with red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white. The red medallions depict the An Baxian, the symbolic attributes of the Eight Immortals; a dragon adorns Lü Dongbin’s garment.
The heavy metal bodies combine sculptural modeling with cloisonné and enamel work. The undersides are sealed with attached metal plates. The 1stBuddha study dossier includes general views, macro photographs, and microscopic images of the edges and joints of the back plates. The dating to circa 1850–1900 is based on an examination of the construction, technique, style, and surfaces.
One plate bears the six-character mark 大清乾隆年製, corresponding to the Qianlong reign. This mark is apocryphal: it does not constitute an attribution to the 18th century.
Condition: signs of age, pitting, small areas of missing enamel, loss of gilding, and brown to greenish oxidation. The faces were regilded at a later date; the neck, hair, hands, and other metal parts retain an older patina. This restoration is part of the group’s conservation history.
According to the oral provenance account, the pair was in Europe as early as the 1960s, is said to have belonged to a Chinese restaurateur, and then remained for several decades in the same private collection until the owner’s death in 2024. This provenance is presented as an oral tradition.
Lü Dongbin: height 79 cm, width 29 cm, weight 20.8 kg. Lan Caihe: height 76 cm, width 34 cm, weight 20.2 kg. Total weight: 41 kg. Price for the pair. Reference: 809.
42 500 €
Period: 19th century
Style: Asian art
Condition: Condition of use
Material: Cloisonne
Width: 29 et 34 cm
Height: 79 et 76 cm
Reference (ID): 1826454
Availability: In stock
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