Thank you for registering for our auction! You are required to provide: 1. Deposit; 保证金待商议; 2. Copy or images of ID card (front and back) or Passport; 3. Images of Credit card (front and back); 4. VAT增值税按实际账单为准。
5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm.) long
Janis H. Palmer (1917-1984) Collection, Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned in 1986.
Li Bai (AD 701-762) was the foremost poet of the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) and, together with Du Fu, remains one of the most famous poets in Chinese history. His ambition to serve the Emperor Huizong as a statesman was thwarted when the Emperor employed him as a palace poet composing mundane lyrics for the Court. Frustrated, he left the Court and spent the rest of his life wandering the country and indulging in his love for wine. A similar depiction of Li Bai, drunken and leaning against a wine jar, can be seen in soapstone figure dated to the 18th-19th century from the Irving Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2019, lot 1184.