Circa: Qing Dynasty, circa: 19th century
H 18 " (46cm.), W 8" (20cm.), D 3.5" (8.5cm.)
Condition : Good, minor loss
An
imposing statue of the Judge of Hell, Chung Qai (Japanese: Shoki) standing on
hell fire, with body posed to the side, and ready to draw the demon queller sword
with his right hand. Judging from his bat eared hat, and the Tang style imperial
robes, the statue is an older prototype, possibly made during the late Ming and
early Qing eras. Chung
Qai made his first appearance in the 8th century, when the Tang Emperor Ming Huang
was haunted by demons during his sleep. Then one night he dreamed of a huge demon
capturing and eating a smaller one. Upon awakening, Emperor Ming Huang instructed
the court painter Wu Daozi to paint a portrait of the Ghost Eater. This became
the first image of Chung Qai, a black faced judge of Hell with a large flaring
beard, dressed in imperial robes with bat-eared hat, and wielding a large sword.