East Asia, China, Qing Dynasty, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A fascinating carved wooden doll or puppet figure, depicting a man, replete with horsehair and a traditional hat. His arms and legs are articulated with wheel and ball joints, and his body and face have traces of pigments. His joints move at the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee. Integral to his legs is a calf-length pair of black boots. His body is realistically carved complete with sagging skin, wrinkles, and genitalia. His face is carved with facial hair and wrinkled lines indicate his age. The face is painted with black, white, and skin tones. His brow is shaved but a lengthy queue braid of black horsehairs hangs down his back. Included is a conical Manchu hat made of cloth and paper with a red lacquer. Inside the hat is an inscription claiming the figure is an Imperial gift. On his verso is a series of Chinese characters in black ink. This is a rare figure! Size: 3" W x 14.5" H (7.6 cm x 36.8 cm); 15.25" H (38.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Morrison, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Eddie's Auction, New York, USA (June 24, 2018, lot 287)

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#166093

Losses to pigment / layers on top of hat and cracking. Fraying and tearing to paper inside hat. Characters are visible on the paper. Stable pressure fissure vertical down doll's back. Characters are not legible in this area due to fissure / fading. Chipping and losses to pigments. Head is not connected to body and adjustable. Stable pressure fissure on head and fraying to hair. Joints all articulate and rotate!