Bronze Sculpture Edition: 20/20

46.6 × 29.5 × 31 cm. 18 3/8 × 11 5/8 × 12 1/4 in.

Signed in Chinese, numbered and dated on the backside of the base
PROVENANCE
Jun Youn Sculpture Gallery, Taipei
Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist issued by Jun Youn Sculpture Gallery, Taipei

Dignified Spirit Stand Alone With Time, Indomitable Soul Carved By His Hand
Guan Yu by Ju Ming

In his early years, Ju Ming apprenticed to Lee Chinchuan, a Taiwanese sculptor, and specialized in realistic sculpture. He established the techniques of “delicacy embodied in roughness, aesthetics discovered in reality”. The folk belief in Fujian and Taiwan that worships Mazu and Guan Yu turned to be the themes of his later creation. In the 1980s, Ju Ming stepped into the world of Tai Chi and reflected its' “Wu” spirit on artworks that had religious themes. This gave birth to the cultural representation of Guan Yu that described the “unparalleled loyalty and bravery” of this character.

In this artwork, Guan Yu is wearing a honeylocust-like hat with a green headscarf on his head, a long gown armour that covered his body, a waistband around his waist and a pair of warped-head combat boots on his foot. Though there is no fine sculpting on his mighty face, his solemn facial expression can be sensed. The succinct and bold posture gives rise to an imagination rich in details, demonstrating his gracefulness as a “god of war”. In addition to the depiction of the figure and expression of the character using the technique “polish complexity by simplicity”, Ju Ming created a visual sense of vividness through the kinetic potential of rapid slicing. With his raised left arm, the character is turning his body and waving his Green Dragon Crescent Blade on his right hand. His long beard is floating elegantly in air and so is his robe. Owing to the abundance of interactivity, the coherence of style and the sense of volumes of various planes, the copper-cast sculpture unveils an utterly natural aura and an ever-lasting charm beyond time and space under the creative method of “embrace spirit in forms” by Ju Ming.

Price estimate:
HKD: 260,000 – 460,000
USD: 33,500 – 59,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 590,000