
Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
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Sold for £1,920 inc. premium
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Specialist, Chinese Works of Art

Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
十七/十八世紀 竹雕羅漢練功像
The present lot may have served as a toggle, or zhuizi (墜子). Before the invention of pockets, affluent individuals carried essential items (such as tobacco, money, and fan) in embroidered pouches suspended from their sashes. A toggle such as the present lot would have functioned as a counterweight, allowing the pouch to remain securely attached. Rather than repeatedly tying and untying the cord securing the pouch to the sash, the wearer could simply loop the cord around the sash, with the toggle hanging down to maintain balance and stability. For more discussion on the uses and function of toggles, see M.Duda, Traditional Chinese Toggles: Counterweights and Charms (中國傳統掛件平衡物與吉祥掛飾), Singapore, 2011, pp.11-15. See a related bamboo carving of two wrestling figures, 18th century or earlier, illustrated by Ip Yee and L.C.S.Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, vol.I, Hong Kong, 1978, pp.382-383, pl.124.
Compare with a similar bamboo carving, 18th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 13 May 2010, lot 425.