Antique Carved Taoist Zhenwu the “Perfected Warrior,” Lucite Base, China (19416)

Description

Zhenwu (also Xuanwu) is the “Dark Warrior” or “Perfected Warrior,” a powerful prince who renounced his throne to achieve immortality and became the ruler of the Northern Sky, specialized in exorcism and protection against elemental forces andrevered for his potent magical powers to suppress demonic forces. Zhenwu was a protector of the state and the imperial family venerated for his ability to heal and protect China and its emperor. During imperial dynastic times, he was considered a patron of soldiers and a protector of national security. He was given several  imperial titles: Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven, Primal Sage and Benevolent Majesty and was revered ;by Buddhist  Taoists and a mighty exorcist in Chinese Popular Religion. In a military context it came to represent protection for ones tribe and a fearful antagonistic force to their enemies .He is still venerated today as a stellar god and as one the most powerful ministers of the Jade Emperor for whom he uses his potent magical powers to suppress demonic forces. In a military context it came to represent protection for ones tribe and a fearful antagonistic force to their enemies.  Zhenwu was worshipped in imperial and provincial temples throughout China. This carved wood provincial devotional image was for a home altar.

He sits in a dignified posture on an elaborate multi tiered throneHe is seated majestically on a rockwork crag. His military maille metallic armor is concealed beneath loose-fitting scholar’s robes draped over a prominent, rounded belly, which represents his inner qi power and self-cultivated spiritual abundance with a taotie image at his which in ancient times represented greed and gluttony.His iconic features are the  snake under his right foot and a tortoise under. In Taoist cosmology, these creatures represent the elements of yin and yang, water and fire, and their pairing symbolizes ultimate universal balance. They symbolize those over whom he presided including “…both celestial officers under his command, [and] former demons that were conquered by him.” (Stevens, p.19.)  Zhenwu is depicted barefoot with long, unpinned hair down his back that reflects his 42 years of ascetic meditation and spiritual training in the Wudang Mountains.

His head is framed in a celestial long ribbon from the chest above the shoulders, behind his head and forms two circles. The first character for the word long ribbon means longevity and the second means both “to bring” and “ribbon” which thus creates the auspicious Chinese phrase  “May longevity bring blessings.” Ribbons and sashes surrounding, next to or behind an object, person or deity indicates a significant, special or extraordinary power they represent.

Mounted on a hand sanded frosted Lucite stand, it is in very good condition with expected losses and fading in colors consistent with age and use.

Click here for the Blog Consecrating Wooden Images to Imbue Them with A Life Force

AI Summary Comments

This statue is highly collectible as it finely features Zhenwu’s core iconographic elements prized by collectors.

Sources

Gabi Greve, Daruma Museum, Tortoise and Snake,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Jeremy Roberts, Chinese Mythology A to Z, New York, Facts on File, 2004.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Brock Silvers, The Taoist Manual: An Illustrated Guide, Applying Taoism to Daily Life, Honolulu, Sacred Mountain Press, 2005.                                                                                                                     Keith G. Stevens, Images of Asia Chinese Mythological Gods, Oxford University Press, New York, 2001.                                                                                                                                                               Patricia Bjaaland Welch, Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Iconography, North Clarendon, Vt., Tuttle Publishing, 2008.                                                                                                                         The Art Institute of Chicago, Taoism and the Arts of China: The Taoist Renaissance, 2000