A CHINESE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF SHANGQING

QING DYNASTY

Depicted seated with crossed legs wearing loose flowing robes, with a ruyi-sceptre resting in his hands, his face cast with a serene expression and centred by a jewel, his hair fastened in a bun secured by a ruyi-decorated hairpiece, with a three-legged frame decorated with mythical beast masks at his waist, 33cm, 4kg.

Shangqing, also called Lingbao Tianzun, is one of the Sanqing along with Yuqing and Taiqing. The Sanqing, or the 'Three Purities', are the Daoist Trinity and are regarded as the most important deities in the Daoist pantheon.