A PAINTED AND ENAMELED PORCELAIN FIGURE OF LI TIEGUAI BY ZENG LONGSHENG (1901-1964)The inside of the garment with an impressed rectangular cartouche seal reading Zeng Longsheng zaoChina, Republic periodLi, one of the legendary Eight Immortals, is extremely finely rendered with a contemplative expression carrying his gnarly crutch to which his famous gilt double gourd is attached. His various garments are all neatly decorated with fine gold painting depicting multiple floral motifs amid leaves and tendrils and geometric patterns. His face is a true masterpiece, where the artist has paid attention to every detail, such as the typical beard, the messy hair held together by a blue band, the ears each with a small hole and the open mouth revealing two rows of teeth. The chest is naked as is the right arm with which the immortal is attempting to scratch his back. Li Tieguai is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Daoist pantheon. He is sometimes described as irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick and the needy, whose suffering he alleviates with special medicine from his gourd. He is often portrayed as an ugly old man with scraggy beard and messy hair held by a band. He walks with the aid of a crutch and often has a gourd slung over his shoulder or held in his hand. The legend says that Li was born in the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) and was originally named "Li Yuan". However, in folklore, he is depicted as Laozi's apprentice, hence he should have lived in the sixth century BC.Zeng Longsheng was a Republic period Jingdezhen artist who specialized in figural works. A complete set of the eighteen Luohan by Zeng Longsheng, donated by Sir Kenneth Ping-fan Fung, is in the collection of the University Museum and Art Gallery, University of Hong Kong. Zeng’s work was influenced by one of the greatest painters of his time, Qi Baishi. This can clearly be seen when their works are directly compared, such as the present statue with Qi Baishi’s portrait of Li Tieguai.Shape: Figural Weight: 1642 gramsDimensions: Height 35 cmCondition: Superb condition, with only one small loss to top of hairbandProvenance: From the estate of Albert T Quon, Beverly Hills. Mr. Quon was born in China and came to the US as a teenager. He graduated from USC in 1928 and established a successful import/export business in both China and the US. He was the first Chinese American to purchase property in Beverly Hills. He also became the first Asian to serve on the Board of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. He donated millions of dollars to his Alma mater, USC. There is a statue of him on USC campus and a classroom was named after him.Auction result comparison: ASIAN ART. Sotheby's, 15 SEPTEMBER 2018, NEW YORK, lot 1487. (compare with a portrait of Rahula by Zheng Longsheng) Art d'Asie. Christies, Paris, 10 December 2014, lot 292. (compare with a portrait of general Yue Fei by Zheng Longsheng)曾龍昇瓷雕鉄拐李陶瓷造像衣服裏有“曾龍昇造款” 中國，民國至建國初期鉄拐李是八仙人物中的一位仙人，整體色彩渲染精緻，拐杖粗獷，上面挂著他的金雙葫蘆。 披散的衣服褐底描金彩卷葉花卉紋。 臉部塑造生動活潑，藝術家注重每一個細節，例如典型的鬍鬚，頭髮凌亂，頭繫藍帶；每個耳朵上都有一個小孔，嘴巴張開露出兩排牙齒；胸部與右臂裸露，右手似乎在背部撓癢癢。 曾龍昇是民國至建國初期景德鎮的雕塑名家。他的一組完整的八仙人物陶瓷雕塑被Sir Kenneth Ping-fan Fung 馮秉芬爵士捐贈給香港大學美術館。曾龍昇的作品曾受齊白石影響，這可能也可以解釋爲什麽這件鉄拐李有點與齊白石筆下的鉄拐李形象十分相似。造型：人物雕塑重量：1642 克尺寸：高 35 厘米品相：保存極好，僅在發帶上有小磕傷。來源：加利福尼亞州比利夫山Albert T Quon遺產。Quon先生生於中國，青年時代去了美國1928年畢業於南加利福尼亞大學后從事于中美進出口貿易。他是第一個在比利夫山莊購買房地產的華裔。他也成爲第一個 洛杉磯商會的亞洲人。他給他的母校南加州大學捐贈了上百萬美金。在大學裏有一座他的雕像，一個教室以他的名字命名。拍賣結果比較：《ASIAN ART》Sotheby's, 15 SEPTEMBER 2018, NEW YORK, lot 1487. (曾龍昇款瓷雕羅怙羅尊者坐像) 《Art d'Asie》Christies, Paris, 10 December 2014, lot 292. (曾龍昇款瓷雕岳飛)