Laozi riding an ox

1569 or 1629

Not on view

On loan to The Met

This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.

This outstanding bronze depicts the semilegendary Daoist philosopher Laozi. It captures an apocryphal moment in the sage’s life when he departed for the west on a dark ox to become a hermit. The mark on the figure’s back indicates the sculpture’s maker and date. Notably, a similar sculpture was included in a well-known handscroll depicting antiques in the imperial Qing collection of the early eighteenth century.

Inscription
己巳年造玉融薛鳴陽製
Made by Xue Mingyang of Yurong [modern Fuqing, Fujian Province] in the jisi year.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

明晚期　薛鳴陽造老子騎牛銅像
Title: Laozi riding an ox
Artist: Xue Mingyang (Chinese, active late 16th–early 17th century)
Period: Late Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Date: 1569 or 1629
Culture: China
Medium: Copper alloy, pigments
Dimensions: H. 18 in. (45.7 cm); W. 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm); D. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Promised Gift of Julia and John Curtis, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary
Object Number: L.2020.10.1a–c
Curatorial Department: Asian Art