🔥 Fine Antique 19th c Old Asian Qing CHINESE God LEI GONG 雷公 Wood Silver Statue

Description: This is a wonderful and incredibly Fine Antique 19th c. Old Asian Qing CHINESE God LEI GONG 雷公 Wood Silver Statue, comprised of Asian hardwood inlaid with intricate silver wire designs throughout. This piece likely dates to the Late Qing - Early Republic period and depicts the Chinese Taoist (Daoist) God of Thunder, Leigong 雷公, or Lord of Thunder. This figure displays all the traditional Chinese iconography, featuring bat wings, a bird's beak, a drum, and chisel, etc. This figure would have carried a mallet in his right hand, but this hand and mallet has unfortunately been lost to time and is missing from the figure. There is evidence of a very old break at the top of the right wrist of this figure, where the hand and mallet are missing. There are also a few areas of minor wire loss, and scratches to the contemporary wooden base (please see all photos carefully.) Approximately 18 1/4 inches tall (including base.) Actual artwork is approximately 16 inches tall x 7 1/2 inches wide x 3 inches deep. Good overall condition for well over a century of age and storage. Lei Gong is an obscure Taoist God, and a very rare subject in Chinese Qing Dynasty artistic expression. Therefore, this example is very special and unusual and may have been made on commission by a wealthy aristocratic devotee. Priced to Sell. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks! About this Artwork: Leigong Leigong (Chinese: 雷公; pinyin: léigōng; Wade-Giles: lei2 kung1; lit. 'Lord of Thunder') or Leishen (Chinese: 雷神; pinyin: léishén; lit. 'God of Thunder'), is the god of Thunder in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology and Taoism. In Taoism, when so ordered by heaven, Leigong punishes both earthly mortals guilty of secret crimes and evil spirits who have used their knowledge of Taoism to harm human beings. He carries a drum and mallet to produce thunder, and a chisel to punish evildoers. Leigong rides a chariot driven by a young boy named A Xiang.Since Leigong's power is thunder, he has assistants capable of producing other types of heavenly phenomena. Leigong's wife Dianmu is the goddess of lightning, who is said to have used flashing mirrors to send bolts of lightning across the sky. Other companions are Yun Tong ("Cloud Youth"), who whips up clouds, and Yu Shi ("Rain Master") who causes downpours by dipping his sword into a pot. Roaring winds rush forth from a type of goatskin bag manipulated by Fengbo ("Earl of Wind"), who was later transformed into Feng Po Po ("Lady Wind"). Iconography Leigong is depicted as a fearsome creature with claws, bat wings, and a blue face with a bird's beak who wears only a loincloth. Temples dedicated to him are rare, but some people honor him in the hope that he will take revenge on their personal enemies. He used to smile a lot and also wore a friendly face. LegendLeigong began life as a mortal. While on earth, he encountered a peach tree that originated from Heaven during the struggle between the Fox Demon and one of the Celestial Warriors. When Leigong took a bite out of one of its fruits he was transformed into his godly form. He soon received a mace and a hammer that could create thunder. The Jade Emperor instructed Leigong to only kill bad people. But the sky got really dark whenever he struck people. So sometimes he killed the wrong people since he couldn't find his quarry. Dianmu was one such victim of his blind fury. She lived with her mother in the countryside, where they worked as rice farmers. One day, she dumped a husk of rice into a river because it was too hard for her mother to eat. When Leigong witnessed this action, he became enraged as he thought she was wasting precious food, so when he saw her dumping the husk out, he killed her with one of his lightning bolts. The Jade Emperor found out what Leigong had done and was furious that he killed the wrong person again. So, the Jade Emperor revived Dianmu and made her into a goddess. He also told Dianmu to marry Leigong as punishment for her murder. He killed her, so it was his fault and his responsibility to take care of her. Dianmu's job is to work with Leigong. She uses mirrors to shine light onto earth so Leigong can see who he hits and makes sure they aren't innocent. This is why lightning comes first. Lei Gong In Chinese mythology, Lei Gong (雷公) (Chinese: "Duke of Thunder"), also called Lei Kung, or Lei Shen (“Thunder God”), is the Chinese Taoist deity who, when so ordered by heaven, punishes both earthly mortals guilty of secret crimes and evil spirits who have used their knowledge of Taoism to harm human beings. Lei Gong carries a drum and mallet to produce thunder and a chisel to punish evildoers. He rides a chariot driven by a young boy named A Xiang.Lei Gong is depicted as a fearsome creature with claws, bat wings, and a blue face with a bird's beak who wears only a loincloth. Temples dedicated to him are rare, but some persons honor him in the hope that he will take revenge on their personal enemies.Since Lei Gong's specialty is thunder, he has assistants capable of producing other types of heavenly phenomena. Dian Mu (電母) ("Mother of Lightning") also known as Tian-mu, Lei-zi or Lei Zi is Lei Kung's wife and the Goddess of Lightning, who is said to have used flashing mirrors to send bolts of lightning across the sky. Other companions are Yun Tong ("Cloud Youth", who whips up clouds, and Yu Zi ("Rain Master") who causes downpours by dipping his sword into a pot. Roaring winds rush forth from a type of goatskin bag manipulated by Feng Bo ("Earl of Wind"), who was later transformed into Feng Po Po ("Madame Wind").Lei Gong began life as a mortal. While on earth, he encountered a peach tree that originated from Heaven during to the struggle between the Fox Demon and one of the Celestial Warriors. When Lei Gong took a bite out of one of its fruits he was transformed into his godly form. He soon received a mace and a hammer that could create thunder.Lei Gong is said to be extremely prudish and will not enter a house where copulation is taking place. Pictures of this act are also supposed to have the same effect.

Price: 1350 USD

Location: Orange, California

End Time: 2024-12-05T00:30:07.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD