Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 10
A SMALL BAMBOO 'LIU HAI' CARVING 17th/18th century
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£2,000 - £3,000
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A SMALL BAMBOO 'LIU HAI' CARVING
17th/18th century
Depicting Liu Hai with joyful and mischievous expression dressed in a finely carved robe with his hair meticulously incised, clasping a coin in his left hand and clambering over a circular box decorated with bands of lappets, a toad resting within the box.
8.5cm (3 3/8in) long.
Depicting Liu Hai with joyful and mischievous expression dressed in a finely carved robe with his hair meticulously incised, clasping a coin in his left hand and clambering over a circular box decorated with bands of lappets, a toad resting within the box.
8.5cm (3 3/8in) long.
Footnotes
十七/十八世紀 竹雕劉海戲蟾擺件
Liu Hai (劉海), a Daoist immortal of wealth, is often depicted enticing a three-legged toad (金蟾) with a string of coins. The toad, believed to summon gold, symbolises prosperity and financial luck. Although Liu Hai and the three-legged toad is a common theme in bamboo carvings, the present lot is distinguished by its rare and unique design, featuring a shell-shaped box concealing the toad within. The piece is exceptionally dynamic and full of vitality, capturing an engaging sense of movement and spirit.
See a related bamboo Liu Hai and toad carving, Qing dynasty, in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Literati Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving (竹鏤文心：竹刻珍品特集), Shanghai, 2012, p.110, pl.47. See also a related bamboo 'Liu Hai' carving, Kangxi/Yongzheng period, illustrated by S.Kwan, Ming and Qing Bamboo (虛心傲節：明清竹刻史話), Hong Kong, pp.292-293, pl.73.
See also a related bamboo carving of Liu Hai, 18th century, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 June 2015, lot 2817.