A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF A LUOHAN, 17TH CENTURY China. Cast seated resting his arms on one raised knee, dressed in an ample coat neatly incised with lotus sprays and finely hemmed with floral and foliate scroll, the face with large eyes and a broad smile.

Provenance: From the collection of Sophus Black, and thence by descent. The base lacquered with an old collector’s number ’12.’ Sophus Black (1882-1960) was a Danish telegraph manager and art collector. From 1902 to 1931, he was stationed in China. From the beginning of his stay, he was fascinated by Chinese culture. He learned the language, lived according to local customs, respected and sought to understand the Chinese mentality, and began collecting distinguished Chinese art and antiques. In 1915, he married Minna Dich, a goldsmith. Together they collected Chinese works of art. They returned to Denmark in 1931. He donated many pieces from his art collection to the National Museum of Denmark.
Condition: Extensive wear, the gilt mostly worn off, minor dings and dents, shallow surface scratches, remnants of soldering to baseplate, the sealing probably original.

Weight: 1,360 g
Dimensions: Height 16.4 cm

Literature comparison: Compare a closely related parcel-gilt bronze figure of a Luohan, also dated to the 17^th century, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in Chinese Art on 3 December 2015, lot 566. 十七世紀鎏金銅合金羅漢像
中國。羅漢坐像，雙臂擱在膝蓋上，穿著一件寬大的外套，纏枝蓮紋，並飾有精美的花卉和卷葉紋，大眼睛，面帶燦爛的笑容。

來源：Sophus Black私人收藏, 保存至今。底座上漆著收藏家的編號“12”。 Sophus Black（1882-1960）是丹麥電報局經理和藝術收藏家。1902年至1931年，他被派駐中國。從那時起，他對中國文化非常感興趣。 他學會了中文，並按照當地的習俗生活，尊重和瞭解中國人，並開始收藏中國藝術品和古董。 1915 年，他與金匠Minna Dich 結婚。 他們一起收藏中國藝術品。 1931 年返回丹麥。他將自己藝術收藏中的許多作品捐贈給了丹麥國家博物館。
品相：磨損嚴重，鎏金大部分磨損，輕微的凹痕，表面淺劃痕，有焊接的殘留物，密封可能是原始的。

重量：1,360 克
尺寸：高 16.4 厘米