This figure of a Daoist deity is embellished with low-fired lead glaze colors typical of Ming religious ceramic sculptures made in Shanxi Province. An inscription on the back indicates that a certain Daoist priest ordered three sets of sculptures for his monastery in the Tiantan Mountains of Shanxi. Chief among these was a set of the Three Divine Officials (sanguan), Daoist deities who preside over heaven, earth, and water, respectively. The clothing on this sculpture helps to identify it as one of the three officials, though which one is uncertain.
Credit: Bequest of Harrison Cady, 1970
Dated 1482
Glazed stoneware (shanxi liuli ware)
60.3in
1971.163
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection