A pair of large Kangxi soapstone court figures

Chinese, Kangxi period (1662–1722)

A pair of large carved soapstone figures depicting a male court official and a female companion. Their secular subject matter and scale are unusual within surviving Qing soapstone carving, which more commonly represents Buddhist and Daoist figures, immortals, animals and smaller decorative objects.

The figures are carved from veined and variegated soapstone and retain areas of original pigment and gilding. Their dress, hairstyles and ornament place them within the visual culture of the early Qing court and distinguish them from the religious subjects more usually encountered in this medium.

The male figure wears a formal court robe decorated with dragons, waves and clouds. His buzi, or rank badge, depicts a crane, identifying him as a civil official of the first rank. The robe is deeply carved, with broad folds creating a sense of movement across the figure, while the face and hands are treated more smoothly. His posture and hand gestures give the figure a naturalistic character rather than the hieratic appearance associated with devotional sculpture.

The female figure wears a long flowing robe retaining areas of ochre, coral and green pigment. The surface is incised with cloud scrolls, floral roundels and plant motifs. Her elaborate hairstyle, jewellery and dress similarly indicate a courtly context. The inclination of the head and positioning of the hands provide a restrained counterpoint to the more upright male figure.

The carving contrasts the smoothly finished faces and hands with the deeply worked folds and finely incised decoration of the robes. Traces of original pigment and gilding survive throughout, preserving important evidence of the figures’ original surface treatment.

Their large scale, secular subject matter and detailed representation of court dress suggest that they may have been produced within, or under the direction of, the imperial workshops, and  were probably intended as presentation pieces or courtly gifts.

The figures were formerly in the collection of Basil Ionides (1884–1950) and the Hon. Nellie Ionides (1883–1962) and were displayed in the Library at Buxted Park, Sussex. A surviving photograph records them in situ within the Ionides collection.

Their combination of large scale, secular courtly subject matter, surviving decoration and documented twentieth-century provenance makes the pair an unusual survival of Kangxi-period soapstone carving.