Chinese headwear has such a long history and variety of styles, shapes, colors and accompanying ornaments, some scholars call China “the Kingdom of Headwear.” Divided into many categories appropriate for those in a certain social, political or court status or rank, headgear alone included crowns, hats, caps, turbans and kerchiefs with each category having many examples. Chinese hats are so varied, it makes identifications of wood-carved subjects very difficult, especially in the case of ancestors who were often provided accoutrements of a status they did not have when alive. Cylindrical hats with a low front and higher back commonly worn by military persons, and a variant called jieze were also used by both civil officials and commoners. Another hat called a futou similarly shaped had a wing-like flap on each side, and the two small vertical projections atop the hat recall earlier ones with large vertical flaps. The black cloth futuo (meaning ‘black gauze cap’) worn by Ming officials was still depicted in some Qing images was based on the futou of the Tang dynasty.
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Dressed in a red robe with a high neck collar, extremely wide sleeves extending below the knees and a belt around his waist, this ancestor figure portrayed as a civilian official standing on a rectangular base with hands together wearing a long civil official’s robe that extends to his shoes but has no rank badge indicated.
This vibrant and finely carved wood statue is the old good-natured Earth God Tudi Gong once found in most rural communities throughout China. He is a kind and benevolent god as seen by his good natured features, believed to live in and help residents of small villages, especially for issues relating to agriculture or wealth. As an administrator he sits on a horseshoe chair wearing officials clothes and carries a tael, a gold bar that symbolizes a wish for wealth. With his sweet and unpretentious demeanor, he looks like someone you just like to hang out with. Once in every village and most homes, these charming images have, like all Taoist deity images, become scarce.
This small fine quality piece depicts a modest ancestor figure as a Mandarin official seated in a horseshoe chair on a raised pedestal emphasizing his importance wearing the traditional mandarin 5-button long coat with a round collar, a plain officials hat, and an undergarment extending to the top of his black shoes. He has a somewhat personalized oval-shaped tranquil face, a high forehead with curved painted brows, a hint of a smile on his pursed lips, and a triangular pigtail down his back.
This fine ancestor figure portrayed as a Chinese official with many indications of his high status. He sits on a backless chair upon a high decorative pedestal upon which his feet rest and . He wears officials attire: a futou cap and high collared red robe with double belt extending to his shoes. He sits in a formal pose with hands on his thighs holding a long slender hu tablet. His facial hairs indicate a mustache and beard, now partially lost, on his gilt colored face.
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