Lot #72: Antique Hand-Carved Chinese Wooden Figurines "Figures representing rural lives in China" & Buddha

Large Figurine is 7" across. This figurine is currently archived in the Division of Geographical Materials, Kyoto University Museum. Below is an excerpt from their website. "Thirty-eight items labeled “Figures representing rural lives in China” are stored at the Division of Geographical Materials, Kyoto University Museum. Among these, thirty-three carved wooden figures that were purchased in 1913 by the Department of Geography, College of Letters, Kyoto Imperial University. These are elaborate models representing farming and everyday life scenes during the late Qing dynasty. Most of the figures are about one-twentieth life size, but several are somewhat larger and the types of wood also vary. Many figures are of people with tools to represent activities such as farming and selling goods, and a few are of tools only. The difference in the skill of wood carving varies among figures, from simple and crude carvings to very precise artworks. In addition to these figures, there are three opera dolls made of cloth and beads, and two ceramic models of houses. In spring 2020, this collection was made available as a digital archive. We were surprised to discover that most of the carved wooden figures were very similar to those produced at T’ou-Sè-Wè Orphanage in Shanghai during the early twentieth century. Although the thirty-three figures are recorded as “Carved wooden dolls in Manchu” in the Equipment Inventory for the Geography Department, several items do not seem to be characteristic of the northern region in China, for example, there are fish and bamboo shoots in peddler’s baskets, and a waterwheel with connected plates that look like a dragon’s spine. These are unusual for this region, but if the figures were made in Shanghai, it would be easy to understand that they represent the life scenes and culture around the Yangtze Estuary. At this time, we will refrain from claiming that all of them were created in the same studio, because, as described above, these figures vary in size, materials, and quality of execution. The most interesting quality of the items in this digital archive as research materials is that they are elaborate three-dimensional figures vividly representing aspects of Chinese lifestyle and culture during the late Qing dynasty. Farming equipment, textile tools, and poultry are depicted along with the movements of the people who use them. It is therefore easy to understand how the tools were used and how livestock were raised. When the Department of Geography purchased these expensive “Figures showing rural lives in China” for 40 yen and 60 sen (about 3,700 US dollars at present value), they were certainly intended to be used as visual teaching materials for learning about local lives and culture. Another interesting aspect of “Figures representing rural lives in China” is their names. It is not easy to describe a scene of life with suitable words. Despite being of a similar type, there are the figures with different names depending on the source documents. There are many possible reasons. For example, varied names are possible according to where the focus is placed: a farming tool, its user, farming work itself, and so on. The cultural experience, knowledge, and assumptions of naming persons influence their ways of naming. The question of what names to give something is an interesting matter because it requires understanding, but also entails the risk of a misunderstanding of cultures and how to perceive the essence of what is being expressed. This digital archive does not provide a fixed name for each item and we hope that all viewers will enjoy thinking about what they represent." Pickup category timeslot {A}