Antique/Vintage Taoist Priest with Elixir of Life, China (7506)

Description

The figure is hand-carved and polychromed, wearing a black robe trimmed in white and a formal black and gold cap. The facial features were repainted, which was commonly done to spiritual images, with white-cream skin tones, eyes ringed in black, thick black eyebrows, and red lips. In his left hand he holds a cup with the symbolic Taoist elixir of health and longevity, and in his right a small ingot (yuanbao) a symbol of and wish for prosperity and wealth. He wears xuanduan, formal attire for priests for ritual ceremonies with a long sleeved black garment with white piping and a black formal hat (guan). He sits on a backless chair atop a high pedestal with five painted characters 玉灵姚先生,

The translation is: Yu Ling Yao Xian Sheng

• 玉靈 (Yù Líng): Means “Jade Spirit” or “Divine Jade.”
• 姚 (Yáo): A Chinese surname.
• 先生 (Xiān Shēng): A respectful term of address meaning “Mister” or “Teacher.”

The full inscription is “Mister Yu Ling Yao” or “Teacher Yu Ling Yao”. The first two characters (Yu Ling) may also refer to the mythical “turtle spirit” or “divine tortoise,” which is another potent symbol of longevity or the traditional Chinese medicine made from turtles  used for millennia in Chinese culture. The sealed cavity indicates it was consecrated. This carving would have been placed on a family altar or home shrine with other spiritual figures, ancestral tablets and ancestor figures to honor the departed, practice familial piety, and provide good fortune to the family dwelling and its household. The piece is in very good condition except for two age cracks on the back of the pedestal, with an old repair.

Click here for Eye-Opening Consecration Ceremony Blog.