19th Century Chinese Soapstone God of Longevity Mounted as Lamp

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Up for sale is an unusual finely carved antique Chinese Shoushan soapstone (寿山石) figure of standing God of Longevity (Shoulao … Read more Up for sale is an unusual finely carved antique Chinese Shoushan soapstone (寿山石) figure of standing God of Longevity (Shoulao 寿星)* standing on a tall rockwork pedestal holding a peach and a walking stick with a dragon head and a healing gourd, the well-depicted face with benign, smiling expression, reddish-brown stone with the finest texture, the dark brown rockwork pedestal carved from separate soapstone, late 19th century, late Qing Dynasty, the statue mounted in the mid-20th century into a table lamp with a finely decorated gilt bronze base, good condition with age commensurate patina, lamp in working condition, gilt loss on the bronze fixture, no lampshade
Private Brooklyn collection
12 3/4 in. high (statue only), 25 in. high (lamp overall)

*The Sanxing, 福禄寿三星 who are Fu, Lu, and Shou, or Cai, Zi, and Shou, are the gods of the three stars and the three qualities of Prosperity, Status, and Longevity in Chinese religion. These icons are thought to date back to the Ming dynasty when the gods of the three stars were represented in human form for the first time. They are sometimes identified with other deities of the Chinese religion or of Taoism. The term is commonly used in Chinese culture to denote the three attributes of a good life. Statues of these three gods are found on the facades of folk religion's temples and ancestral shrines, in nearly every Chinese home and many Chinese-owned shops on small altars with a glass of water, an orange or other auspicious offerings, especially during Chinese New Year. Traditionally, they are arranged right to left (so Shou is on the left of the viewer, Lu in the middle, and Fu on the far right), just as Chinese characters are traditionally written from right to left. See less