Vintage Carved Stone Figure of Shou Lao (Shouxing), Deer, & Boy
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Item: Carved Figure
Make: China
Age: Early-Mid 20th Century
Construction: Carved Stone
Dimensions: 3 3/4" Tall x 4" Long x 2" Deep
Condition: Excellent vintage condition. Several tiny chips in bottom edge of base. Please see photos.
Details: A small carved figural group featuring an old man with a high domed head and walking staff, leaning against a deer, with a small child by his side. The old man reaches back with his right hand to grasp the antlers of the deer, which appears to look at him adoringly. The little boy stands at the man's knee, offering a gift. Small clusters of three circles each are engraved all over the deer. The figure is carved from white stone, stained in shades of burnt umber, including the base. The bottom of the sculpture is textured and stained dark burnt umber. It appears to be signed with two characters carved under the stain, and several smaller characters incised into the stain.
Shou Lao or Shouxing is the Chinese god of longevity. Also known as the Old Man of the South Pole, he is also one of three Star Gods in Chinese mythology, representing the star Canopus. He is often depicted with a deer, and/or carrying a peach. In Taoist writings and early novels, he rides a white or spotted deer, and has a disciple in Xianhe Tongzi, the "white crane boy".