Early 1900s Antique Shiwan Lohan on an Elephant

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There is a lot to be said about Shiwan wares, one of the more misunderstood Chinese pottery art. People north … Read more There is a lot to be said about Shiwan wares, one of the more misunderstood Chinese pottery art. People north of the Guangdong province, the southernmost province of China are not familiar with the artistic pieces of the Shiwan potters. Just to give a brief history, the potters in Shiwan claimed to be descended from the Southern Song potters who created the most famous glazes of Chinese ceramics. When the Mongols invaded south of the Yangxi River, they potters fled south and found a place on the estuary of the the Pearl River, where the sand and soil, and the minerals in the area were perfect to establish a ceramic production. They brought the secrets of the famous glazes and their descendents continued their pottery making and it continues to flourish today in the town of Shiwan, near Foshan, just miles away from Guangzhou, formerly Canton in South China. In the turn of the 20th century, Shiwan, as the pottery center , produced utilitarian objects such as cooking pots, large dragon pots, pipes, household goods and so on. In their spare time, they devoted their energy towards more artistic pursuits, and one the the most endearing were the figurines.

This red robed fgure on an elephant is a Lohan, an enlightened sentient being who selected to remain on earth in order to help others achieve enlightment. A better interpretation is this is the Bodhisattva Samanthabhadra and his mount, an elephant. He is seated cross legged with left foot pendant. This pose is termed "Royal Ease", befitting of a bodhisatta. The head of the figure is expertly sculpted with big bulging eyes, wavy black hair, full beard and bushy eye brows. (Lohans and bodhisattvas are foreigners.) He is holding an open scroll that has four characters "Nian Nian Fa Zai" which is totally unbuddhist but fully Chinese. It means "May you prosper year after year." The long sleeves, and garment patterns are nicely done and glazed in the famous red flambe glaze. Good Shiwan figurines should have good articulation, as evident here by the orderly arrangement of wavy hair, and good proportion hands. Even the single shoe can be interpreted as a straw sandal. The whie elephant is realistic presented with floppy ears and curling trunk. It shows the maturity of the artist sculptor. His mark, stamped on one of the elephant's feet, is hard to read. This figurine is consistent with others from the 1920's, good years for the newly formed Republic of China. See less