Archives for posts with tag: figurine
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Golden Wood Carving – Wei Chi Gong

11/25/2014 //
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAW40xL80xH110mm, China

This lion riding figue is Wei Chi Gong, a general of the Tang dynasty.  Stories of his loyalty and bravery made it to the hearts of the people that he became a protector for the home, prints and figurines were made of him and his partner Qin Qiong.

Legends has it that in the Tang dynasty, the Dragon King had a bet with a fortune teller, this act violated the rules of the heaven and Jade Emperor ordered for the dragon’s execution.  The Dragon King pledged with the Tang Emperor and the Emperor agreed to summon the executioner back to court so the dragon could be spare.  Unfortunately, the Emperor doses off and missed the hour, the dragon was cut in half and died.  The dragon was extremely upset that the promise was broken and its ghost haunted the imperial palace day and night.  Wei Chi Gong and Qin Qiong, the two brave generals offered to stand guard at the door of the palace, the dragon ghost was kept at bay.  The emperor felt guilty that the pair has to be on guard days and nights because of his own negligence and ordered prints and figurines to be made of the two so to spare them from their task.  The fame of the two generals is so powerful that their imagery would be enough to scare away the haunted dragon, since then they were used to guard doors, gateways, bed in the household.

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Categories figurine, wood

Halloween – Master 8

10/31/2014 //
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

W120xD120xH300mm, China

Master 7 and Master 8 comes in a pair, 7 tall and white, 8 shorta and black .  Master 7&8 (aka the Black and white Supernaturals) are probably the most horrifying members of the underworld as they are guards from hell who also execute punishment for the dead.  Master 7 is known as  Xie Bi An, Master 8 Fan Wu Jiu, the two were close friends who worked as guards for a small court.  One day the prisoner they were escorting managed to escaped.  They went their separate ways to search for the fugitive and agreed to meet back at the embankment by the bridge at a certain hour.  It rained hard and didnt stop, Xie (8) didnt manage to get to the embankment in time while Fan (7) waited.  Fan saw the water level on the river raise, started to flood but remain there, he didnt want his friend to think that he has deserted him and left Xie to take the blame of losing the prisoner.  When Xie got there, the river has flooded, Fan being a shorty got drowned.  Xie was upset with himself, he was too tall to drown himself, so he found a tree and hang himself, finally making the appointment with Fan in the underworld.  The Jade Emperor was impressed by the loyalty the two has shown and made them the Generals of Hell.

On the night of the Halloween when all the ghosts are about, perhaps Master 7 and 8 would get a day off from their tasks as well.

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Categories figurine, wood

Shadow Puppet – Scholar

10/07/2014 //
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

W100xH320mm, China

Before the arrival of the internet, tv, moving pictures, the shadow puppets are the closest to an animated reality.  It has been said that concept of shadow puppet came some 2000 years ago in the Han dynasty.  The Han emperor was extremely depressed after the death of the Empress and was unable to the ruling of the country.  Advisor Li who has been devoted to the Emperor was deeply concerned, one afternoon in the street he saw a kid playing with a doll, it was the movement of the shadow that had captivated him.  Li used cotton to made the features of the Empress, supported the arms and legs on rod, with a candle behind, a screen was placed in front of the mannequin.  The Emperor came into the tent one evening and saw his beloved Empress once again.

This shadow puppet is a Xiao Sheng character, playing roles that are young handsome, well learnt scholar and usually matched by a beautiful diva Dan role.

Click here to see more of our shadow puppets.

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Categories figurine, leather / feather, puppet

Junk Boat God – Crane Riding Saint

09/24/2014 //
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAW50xD40xH140mm, Hong Kong

This figurine belonged to the Tanka tribe, a group who lived on junks by the bay and fish for a living.  In the Guangdong area, it said that their junks used to be tied together which stretches a mile long.  As time goes by, with development along the coastline, better living offer on land, most and almost all of the junks have disappeared.

This is an ancestor figurine of a middle ranking female, the crane symbolizes a departure from this world like the saints.

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Categories figurine, wood

Clay Toy – Lion Pups

09/17/2014 //
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clay toyW15xL60xH50mm, China

These black colour clay toys are a specialty from the Huai Yang area.  The figurines take on many forms, from domestic animals to monster like creatures, as they began not as toys but saintly totems for worshiping.  The lion was not originated from China, its legends came together with the Buddhism from India.  The lion was not any ordinary wild animal but mystical creature with super power, it was worshiped for its power and its protection.  As time goes by, the idea of the lion totem began to lose sharp, the figurines portray friendly and even cute lions and instead of being an object of worship, they are more like a children’s toy.

 

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Categories clay, toy

Golden Wood Carving – Hermit’s Life

09/16/2014 //
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golden wood carvingL210xD35xH100mm, China

The character in this golden wood carving is known as Lin Bu, a poet in the North Sung dynasty, he is surrounded by plum blossoms and there is a crane by his side.  Lin led a hermetic life on a small hill at the West Lake in Huangzhou, never setting foot in the city, he found company with the monks whom he would visit with his small boat.  Lin also admire plum blossoms which he planted around his hut, this also inspired him to write poems about them.  Lin also kept a couple of cranes for company.  It is said that if he got unexpected guests visiting while he is out on his boat, the cranes would flew to him, hoover above his boat and gave him his message.  Lin was never married, the plum blossom being his wife and the crane his sons, this phrase 梅妻鶴子 (Mei Qi He Zi) became a description for a hermetic life.

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Categories figurine, lacquer, wood

Doll

07/29/2014 //
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dollW130xH220mm, China

A gentle fabric doll dressed in indigo dye costume.

Here is the local designer Furze‘s abstract version.

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Categories fabric, figurine, toy

Fish Sculpture

07/16/2014 //
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fish sculptureW15xD24xH42mm, Hong Kong

A paper sculpture of a three dimension impression of a fish swimming downward.

 

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Categories figurine, paper

Golden Wood Carving – Fan Li Hua

07/15/2014 //
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golden wood carving

W150xD40xH180mm, China

The two character on this wood block carving is Fan Li Hua and Xue Ding Shan.  The story of the two are in opera, movies and on telly with Fan Li Hua being the famous female warrior of the Tang dynasty.  Fan was the daughter of the general of the country name Onog, both beautiful and with superb martial skills.   General Xue was in charged of expanding on the western territories; Fan was assigned to aid his father at the battle by  her mother who also told her that she was destined to marry Xue.  Without effort Fan defeated her enemy and requested for a battle with General Xue and quickly defeated Xue as well.  Her terms for ending the war was for him to marry her, three times she captured him and released him and .  General Xue was moved and the two was married, Fan then pretended to loss the battle and was captured by Xue.  Fan then help Xue to conquer the western frontier.

Here is another carving of Fan Li Hau.

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Categories lacquer, wood

Clay Toy – the 59th Warrior

06/27/2014 //
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clay toy

W50xD20xH80mm, China

Clay toys, like Disney toy, often take the form of a famous character, be it from a movie or an opera.  This figurine is Hu San Niang, one of the three female warriors on Mount Liang in the novel “Water Margin”.  Hu was the daughter of  a powerful family, not only is she beautiful she is also well trained in military.  After many victories for the family she was captured by the warriors of Mount Liang (108 outlaws that do good for the people) and soon she joined in and became the 59th warrior.

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Categories clay, figurine, toy
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