A HARDWOOD FIGURE OF AN EMACIATED LUOHAN, CHINA, 17TH-18TH CENTURY
The ascetic figure finely carved seated with his right knee raised and his left leg crossing underneath, resting his head in his left hand, the skeletal rib cage and garment folds well carved, his gaunt face detailed with a long nose, thick furrowed brows, and thin lips, the almond-shaped eyes framed by long pendulous earlobes and narrow chin.


Provenance:
From the collection of Dr. Aurel Gonda, acquired in Shanghai circa 1937-1947, and thence by descent to the present owner. Dr. Aurel Gonda (1885-1964) was an Austro-Hungarian physician who served as a councilman and health official in Vienna. A street in Inzersdorf, in the 23rd district of Vienna, is named after him. He was the brother of architect Charles Henry Gonda, who was active in Shanghai between the 1920s and 1940s. As C. H. Gonda rose to be a renowned architect, he ran in the same circles as foreign elites, including Shanghai's top oligarch Victor Sassoon. In 1938, Aurel Gonda and his family escaped fascist Vienna and joined C. H. Gonda in Shanghai. After the Communist victory in China in 1949, the brothers and their families left for the US and settled in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Condition:
Very good condition with minor old wear, few minuscule chips, expected age cracks, fine ancient patina overall.

Weight: 225.1 g
Dimensions: Height 11.6 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a similarly posed ascetic from the 18th-19th century in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S2012.9.4412.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 26 May 2014, lot 21
Price: HKD 275,000 or approx.
EUR 40,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved wood seated luohan, Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related pose and expression.




十七至十八世紀木雕羅漢坐像

羅漢眉骨高聳，深目突顴，身微左傾，左手托腮，右手垂下輕撫右膝，呈思惟狀，唯妙唯肖。人物雕刻精緻細膩，刻畫出羅漢面貌精瘦而矍鑠，前胸骨胳隱約可見。


來源：
Dr. Aurel Gonda收藏，約於1937-1947年間購於上海，保存在同一家族至今。Dr. Aurel Gonda (1885-1964) 曾是來自奧匈帝國的醫生，曾在維也納擔任議員和衛生部官員。維也納第 23 區 Inzersdorf 的一條街道以他的名字命名。他的兄弟Charles Henry Gonda 曾是一位建築師，在 1920 年代至 40 年代活躍於上海。隨著 C. H. Gonda 成為著名建築師，他與外國精英打交道，其中包括上海的頂級寡頭Victor Sassoon。1938 年，Aurel Gonda 和他的家人逃離了法西斯維也納，並在上海與 C. H. Gonda 會合。1949 年共產黨在中國取得勝利後，兄弟倆和他們的家人前往美國，定居在新澤西州萊克伍德。

品相：
狀況極好，有輕微磨損，微小的缺口，年代裂縫，整體細膩包漿。

重量：225.1 克
尺寸：高11.6 釐米


文獻比較：

比較一件相似的十八至十九世紀苦行僧像，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館, 館藏編號S2012.9.4412。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比, 2014年5月26日, lot 21
價格：HKD 275,000（相當於今日
EUR 40,000
）
描述：十八至十九世紀清代木雕羅漢坐像
專家評論：比較非常相近的姿勢和表情。