Shou-xing Statue 12" dark wood with gold wire and ivory inserts

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Posted by jmrathbun
14 years ago
AI Appraisal
💬 3 Comments 🗣️ Discuss with Community
Description

Clearly a statue of the traditional Chinese god of longevity transliterated most commonly as Shou-xing. The top of the staff was apparently broken off and glued back on. We were told that the seal making it legal for export may have been fraudulent, meaning that it could have been older than 1882. I found this in a tiny shop built into the old city wall at Nanjing. My group was one of the first allowed into China after the Cultural Revolution, and it seemed that vendors didn't know what their stuff was worth on the US market.
Category Asian Art
Medium dark wood with gold wire and ivory inlays
Distinguishing marks See photos
Condition Good
Size and dimensions of this item 12 inches tall
Weight 3 lb
History Purchased in small shop in city wall at Nanjing 1982
eBay Auction Link
Price Paid (If known) $95
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Submitted by gongbowang

It is a nice piece, very detailed, definitely old and hand carved. You can easily sell one like this on ebay for hundreds of dollars or even thousands. The inlay is not gold though. The tag shows the price you paid "400 Yuan". At that time, an average Chinese worker was getting 30 yuan per month.  

Submitted by jmrathbun

Thanks for your comment! How do we know, though, that the wire is not gold? It looks more goldish in real life than it does in these photos. Since I posted here I had the item appraised at $1200 and the appraiser also thought it was gold. Item is not for sale, btw.
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