A BURLWOOD CARVING OF LIU HAI, LATE MING TO EARLY QING China, 17th-18th century. Carved in a standing position, using the natural shape of the gnarled wood to depict the robe. Supporting a mythical three-legged toad on his right shoulder. Condition: Fine golden-brown patina. Some wear, minor losses, intrinsic age cracks. Scattered tiny wormholes. A superb naturally grown patina with a soft, unctuous finish. Provenance: The Oriental Art Collector. Quek Kiok Lee (1921-2018), acquired from the above on 15 December 1980. Singaporean businessman, banker and investor Quek Kiok Lee was the founder of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) and Acquisitions Advisor on Chinese Antiquities for the National University of Singapore. Weight: 1,149 g Dimensions: Height 23.7 cm The story of Liu Hai is frequently told as "Liu Hai playing with the Golden Toad". However, there is a hidden meaning here: The Chinese word for "toad" is chanchu. Sometimes, Chinese will only pronounce the first character chan. In some Chinese dialects, the character chan has a pronunciation very similar to qian which means "coin". Therefore, a storyteller reciting "Liu Hai playing with the Golden Toad" could also be heard by listeners as "Liu Hai playing with the gold coins". Later fitted stand. (2) Auction result comparison: Compare with a related burlwood carving of a luohan sold in these rooms in Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism on 27 September 2019, lot 101, for €2,000. 癭木雕劉海金蟾擺件，明末清初 中國，十七至十八世紀。立像，利用癭木自然紋理雕刻衣袍，一隻三足蟾蜍立於他的右肩処。 品相：金棕色包漿，一些磨損，輕微缺損，内在年代裂紋。散佈著微小的蟲洞，極好的自然包漿濃厚潤澤。 來源：東方藝術收藏家。郭克禮 (1921-2018)先生于1980年12月15日購於上述收藏。郭克禮先生是新加坡商人，銀行家和投資家。他曾是東南亞陶瓷協會創立人，並擔任新加坡國立大學中國古玩收藏顧問。 重量：1,149 克 尺寸：高23.7 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件相似癭木雕劉海于2019年9月27日售于本藝廊，拍號101，成交價€2,000。