The popularity of all things Chinese and “Oriental” among European collectors, which extended well into the nineteenth century, was met by an ever-increasing production of porcelain export ware for the Western market. Such goods ranged from luxury service ware to mass-produced vases. This figurine, remnants of hundreds of such porcelains from the Duveen Brothers Gallery, depicts a Daoist deity intended for the Western market. The figure wears a robe with the Chinese character “shou,” which means longevity and is associated with images of the God of Longevity Shou Lao. However, he has neither the elongated cranium, a symbol of wisdom, nor a peach in his hand, a symbol of longevity, both attributes of Shou Lao. As this object was intended for the Western market, its unorthodox representation of the god was not seen as problematic.
Details
- Title: Statuette of a Priest
- Date: 19th century
- Medium: Porcelain
- Dimensions: 18-1/8 x 7-1/2 in. (46.0 x 19.1 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1965.1.136.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Lock, Stock and Barrel: Norton Simon's Purchase of Duveen Brothers Gallery
- Norton Simon Museum, 2014-10-24 to 2015-02-16
- Bushnell, Stephen W. and William M. Laffan, Catalogue of the Morgan Collection of Chinese Porcelains, 1907, no. 6 p. 19
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. D67 p. 446
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