Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 37Y
A LARGE BAMBOO 'MOUNTAIN' CARVING 19th century
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£4,000 - £6,000
Ask about this lot
Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A LARGE BAMBOO 'MOUNTAIN' CARVING
19th century
The large root expertly carved in high relief as a winding mountain path with numerous figures and pavilions amongst rocks and trees, carved stand with lingzhi fungus.
52cm (20 1/2in) high overall. (2).
The large root expertly carved in high relief as a winding mountain path with numerous figures and pavilions amongst rocks and trees, carved stand with lingzhi fungus.
52cm (20 1/2in) high overall. (2).
Footnotes
十九世紀 竹雕台閣人物山子
The present lot is masterfully carved from a single substantial section of bamboo root, showcasing a large size and a panoramic composition. Despite their small size, the figures are carved with exceptional precision, capturing intricate facial expressions, dynamic postures, and clothing details. Each scene is thoughtfully composed, achieving a harmonious balance of movement and stillness, bringing the figures to life.
See a bamboo mountain similarly carved with pavilions and figures, Qing dynasty, in the collection of Walter Edmund Lutz, the Denver Art Museum, illustrated by Ip Yee and L.C.S.Tam Chinese Bamboo Carving, vol.I, Hong Kong, 1978, pp.532-533, pl.196. See also a related bamboo-root mountain carved with Immortals congratulating on the Heavenly Queen Mother's birthday, Qing dynasty, in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Literati Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai, 2012, p.117, no.52.
Compare with a similar but smaller bamboo carving of a mountain, 19th century, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29 May 2013, lot 2327.