A Fahua-type figure of an Immortal, China, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century. Estimate $12,000 - $18,000. Price Realized $75,000 . Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015
The figure depicted as an official shown seated on a molded and carved, pierced rockwork base, wearing a loose dragon robe open at the chest and tied in a bow around the midsection, with a basket of fruit to one side, with an inscription on his back reading 'made in the ninth month of the twelfth year of Hongzhi’, corresponding to September and October 1499, and with a maker’s mark, Dong Ziwan. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm.) high
Provenance: The Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, New York, before 1979.
Literature: S. Riddell, Dated Chinese Antiquities, 600-1650, London, 1979, p. 119, no. 106.