Root wood sculpture representing the god of Longevity Shou Lao * or Shou Xing, holding the peach of longevity in his hands, label signed below, from China, from the early 20th century.
This sculpture is in good condition. Old label below.
A note: some tiny cracks of time in the wood, slight wear of time, see photos.
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or Shou-Hsing "Star of Longevity", is represented as a man with a beard and white eyebrows, with advanced baldness and holding a gnarled staff, the symbol of the immortals. He became famous as Shou Lao, the god of longevity and the "Old Man of the South Pole". It is he who decides the date of death of each person, which he puts in writing. The digits of this date cannot be changed, but they can sometimes be interchanged.
He is part of the San Xing "The Three Stars", which are three Spirits/gods considered as the "Three Spirits/Gods of Happiness". They are composed of "The Star of Happiness", "The Star of Prosperity" and "The Star of Longevity".