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Secondary sourceSculpture1438

Seated Figure, Probably Laozi (Gilt Bronze, 1438)

Chen Yanqing · 1438

A gilt bronze seated figure from China, dated 1438 and made by Chen Yanqing. The museum's curator considers it likely to represent Laozi.

Shows how a later maker pictured Laozi, the figure this archive is about, in a dedicated sculpture.

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Back view of a gilt bronze seated figure on a dark wooden stand. The figure wears a flowing robe, has a topknot with a small crown, and is seated with hands resting on a platform. Gold surface shows some wear.
Chen Yanqing, Chinese sculpture of a figure (likely Laozi), dated 1438. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

About this source

What it is

This is a gilt bronze sculpture of a seated figure from China, dated 1438 and attributed to Chen Yanqing. The Met record gives limited detail, and the curator's note describes it as likely a figure of Laozi. The photograph shows the back of the figure, which wears a flowing robe and has a topknot with a small crown. Its hands rest on a platform, and its gold surface shows some wear.

Why it matters

Laozi is a semi-legendary philosopher of the 6th century BCE, traditionally credited with the Dao De Jing and regarded as the founder of Taoism. This sculpture was made many centuries after his time, so it shows how later Chinese makers and believers imagined him rather than how he looked.

Look closer

  • What details of the robe, hair and pose suggest that the figure is honoured or holy?
  • Why might the identity of the figure be uncertain, and what evidence would settle it?
  • What does a back view leave out that a front view would show?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Laozi on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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