Phán Quan; China, Qing dynasty, 19th century.

Phán Quan; China, Qing dynasty, 19th century.
Carved and polychrome wood.
It presents losses in the polychrome and transverse fracture.
Measurements: 49 x 21 x 18 cm.
Wooden sculpture of a Phán Quan, known as the Judge of the Dead, is an assistant to King Yama (Yanluo Wang) in the underworld, responsible for judging the souls of the dead and deciding their fate in the next life.
Under the Qing, inherited art forms flourished and innovations occurred at many levels and of many types. High levels of literacy, a successful publishing industry, thriving cities, and a Confucian emphasis on cultivation nurtured a lively and creative set of cultural fields. During this period, the European tendency to imitate Chinese artistic traditions, known as chinoiserie, also gained great popularity in Europe due to increased trade with China and the broader current of Orientalism.