A ZITAN FIGURE OF A DEER HOLDING LINGZHI, 18TH CENTURY China. Superbly carved in a recumbent posture with the hind legs drawn in and the front legs bent with the hooves placed together, the muscular body of the stag is well detailed and further accentuated by the characteristic natural 'crabs claw' marks of the wood, the face with neatly incised round eyes and funnel-shaped ears, the animal grasping a large, naturally carved lingzhi sprig in its mouth.

Provenance: English trade.
Condition: Fair condition with old wear, expected age cracks to the wood, some with associated losses and old fills, minute losses to the antler tips, all more or less as expected from a zitan figure with an age of 300 years or more. Elegant, naturally grown patina with a decent, lustrous shine overall.

Weight: 255.9 g
Dimensions: Length 12 cm

Expert's note: In ancient Chinese mythology, deer were considered to live a thousand years and believed to be the only animals capable of finding lingzhi, and so as in the present lot, are often portrayed holding the sacred fungus in their mouth. The deer is also a foremost Daoist emblem of longevity and the inclusion of lingzhi in the depiction is generally regarded as adding further to the symbolism. Thus, Shoulao and Magu, the God and Goddess of Longevity, are often accompanied by deer. Finally, deer are also a symbol of wealth since the Chinese word for deer, lu, is a homonym for the salary of an official.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3 April 2017, lot 3047
Price: HKD 875,000 or approx. EUR 113,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An extremely rare imperial zitan figure of a bear, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Note the larger size (33.9 cm) and the superb condition. Compare the manifold similarities exhibited by the carving style and technique.


十八世紀紫檀雕鹿銜靈芝
中國。圓雕而成一隻祥鹿，前腿彎曲，後腿收緊，口銜靈芝，昂首回眸做觀望狀，雙角飛揚，呈跪臥之姿。木料天然“蟹爪”紋進一步突出鹿的身形健壯。靈芝回曲起伏、圓潤飽滿。

來源：英國古玩交易。
品相：磨損，預期的木材老化裂縫，一些相應的缺損和舊的修補，鹿角尖端的輕缺損，與300年或以上的紫檀雕像預期的一樣。自然包漿，光滑瑩潤。

重量：255.9克
尺寸：長12厘米

專家注釋：在中國古代神話中，鹿象徵著長壽，經常被描繪成嘴裡叼著靈芝，表達了仙風道骨，且長命百歲，萬壽無疆之祝福。而此鹿俯臥於地，又取“福祿“之意。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2017年4月3日，lot 3047
價格：HKD 875,000（相當於今日EUR 113,000）
描述：清乾隆罕見御製紫檀雕熊
專家評論：請注意較大的尺寸 (33.9厘米) 和極佳的品相。比較雕刻風格和技術等多方面的相似性。