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Secondary sourceArtifactMing dynasty

Seated Laozi Figure, Cizhou Ware

Unknown Ming dynasty craftsman · Ming dynasty

A Ming dynasty Chinese ceramic figure showing Laozi seated in white robes, now in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

This ceramic figure shows Laozi as a revered sage, reflecting his later veneration in Chinese religious art.

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Glazed ceramic figure of a seated bearded old man in white robes with black trim and a black hat, hands clasped in his sleeves, set against a black-edged backboard on a white decorated pedestal.
Unknown artist, Seated Laozi Figure, Cizhou ware, Ming dynasty. Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.

About this source

What it is

This glazed Cizhou ware ceramic figure from the Ming dynasty shows a seated bearded old man wearing white robes with black trim and a black hat, his hands clasped inside his sleeves. It is held today at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Why it matters

Ceramic figures like this were made long after Laozi's traditional lifetime, showing how he was honored as a revered sage and religious figure in later Chinese culture. Objects such as this reveal how Taoism, the philosophy linked to Laozi, became part of everyday religious and artistic life across centuries.

Look closer

  • What does the calm, seated pose suggest about how Laozi was remembered?
  • Why might craftsmen have continued making such figures centuries after Laozi's lifetime?
  • What does the material—ceramic rather than painting—tell us about how this image was used?

This artifact 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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