When talking about Chinese Art, people at first may think about grandma's porcelain, bronzes, terracotta and maybe some furniture. I used to anyway! But there is so much more to it: carpets, jade, paintings, bamboo carvings, stone sculptures, Imperial art... the list is endless. Each one could take up a whole lifetime of study. I enjoy every aspect, but when I go looking for pieces, I try to find the less obvious pieces rather than the mainstream collectors' items. I am lucky to be submerged in Chinese culture and have access to markets, small dealers and have the opportunity to explore and research interesting objects not widely available in the West.
It was in this way that I came across these little wooden sculptures. Such sculptures were made in different forms and styles but they were made mainly for the purpose of worshipping. The most common ones were one's ancestors, placed on the family altar shrine. Different styles of clothing and posture indicate different professions, such as a scholar or a teacher. In China, ancestors are worshipped as a form of respect but also because it is believed they can communicate with the Gods and look after the family's fate. The family's status and affluency can be observed in the figurines through its size or the fineness of the carving.
The next category of figurines were Gods. They were made for domestic use or for temples. The rules for carving were more strict and changed slowly in time. However, there was room for some artitistic freedom which resulted in each sculpture being unique.
I made it my mission to scour Hong Kong for some fine examples which you can see above. I am doing some more research on the last ones I found. I have not been able to locate many Chinese books on the topic. It seems it hasn't been a real topic for study in the West yet.
To be continued.
