Sculpture of Li T'ai Po
Chinese poet Li T'ai Po
Soapstone sculpture
Dimensions 18,5 x 14 x 6 cm
China ca 1800
Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912)
Provenance private collection UK
Poetry and Wine
The famous Chinese poet Li T'ai Po (701-762) wrote many poems. Most of his poems were about his favourite drink: wine!
The story goes that he wrote his best poems when under the influence of alcohol.
The sculpture shows the poet sitting on the back of an elephant, enjoying a drink.
Soapstone
Soapstone or staetite (Dutch: zeepsteen or speksteen) is a soft stone material, often used to make detailed sculptures. The stone feels very soft , because it consists mainly of the mineral talk.
The stone has many colors and when polished the colors speak out very strong.
The sculpture of Li T'ai Po has many details, like the winebottle, the face and clothes of the poet and also the skin and feet of the elephant are worked out very detailed.