The Buddhist saint is seated, his arms folded under his robes which have enamel bats among cloud scrolls in red, black, green, yellow and tones of blue, the border with panels of flowers on a punched diaper ground. His bald head is of gilt-copper sheeting, the whole beaten in two sections.

This and another similar figure appeared in London in the 1950s, the other in the Oriental Ceramic Society Exhibition, The Arts of the Ming Dynasty in 1957, no. 293. They were the subject of considerable debate as to period. Others have appeared more recently which do not seem to have great age. They do not however appear as convincing as this one.

Literature: Anthony du Boulay, The Duberly Collection of Chinese Art at Winchester College (Winchester, 2019), p. 127

Provenance: Bequeathed as part of the Duberly Collection, 1978; purchased by Major Montagu and Lady Eileen Duberly from the sale of the collection of Mrs. Walter Sedgwick, Sotheby’s, London, 2 July 1968, lot 38, through John Sparks (£577)

Location: Not on display