SOLD - A Chinese Export Nodding Figure of a Chinaman
Height: 14" 36cm
Width: 5.5" 14cm
Depth: 4" 10cm
A rare Chinese export nodding plaster work figure of a china man. Dressed in a yellow ground and decorated robe and holding a jar in both hands.
These figures are known by a variety of names including "painted clay" and "plaster" with examples surviving in a range of sizes from eight inches up to life size. Some are decorated to look as if they are wearing silk robes and many have movable heads which is where they derive the name the "nodders." These figures were modelled by hand and decorated in water based gouache colours.
In 1777 over one hundred of these figures were located in Stockholm as part of the collection at Drottningholm Palace. These figures were intended to illustrate Chinese life and included figures of many different ranks of Chinese society including court officials and artisans.
Literature:
David S. Howard, A Tale of Three Cities: Canton, Shanghai & Hong Kong (London: Sotheby's UK, 1997), 146.
Chinese, Circa 1800
 "Chinese Export Nodding Figure of a Chinaman")
