Description：AN IVORY FIGURE OF A LAN CAIHE, MING DYNASTY China, 1368-1644. Standing in a dynamic posture, leaning slightly forwards, carrying a slender basket in a honeycomb-decorated bag around the back, undercut for suspension as a pendant. Wearing long flowing robes, wrist braces, and a characteristic leaf-skirt. The face with a serene expression and the hair arranged in a high chignon. Provenance: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London, 2014. Belgian private collection, acquired from the above. Ben Janssens opened his eponymous gallery in 1996 in London, specializing in early Chinese art. He also served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of TEFAF Maastricht. Condition: Very good condition with old wear, natural age cracks, and a fine, honey-gold patina. Two himotoshi (cord holes) were added to the back, indicating that the present lot may at one time have been used as a netsuke. Weight: 98.5 g (incl. base) Dimensions: Height 13.3 cm (excl. base) and 14.6 cm (incl. base) Glued to a modern wood base. (2) Lan Caihe is one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon and the only one of the Eight whose gender is ambiguous. Lan is not generally thought to be based on a historical person but is traditionally said to have been born sometime during the Tang dynasty, and lived as a homeless street entertainer, who wandered all over China, singing philosophical songs. Lan's emblem is a basket of flowers, and so this immortal is considered the patron of florists and gardeners. Auction result comparison: Compare a related ivory carving of an immortal, dated to the 17th century, at Christie's London in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 10 May 2011, lot 50, sold for GBP 15,000. This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore this item can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person. 明代象牙雕藍采和 中國，1368-1644年。象牙雕藍采和立像，微微前傾，衣袖裙擺線條柔軟，背著籃子，表現出可親可近的恬適笑意，令人如沐春風、如對煦陽。籃子底部有孔可作爲挂件使用。 來源：2014年倫敦Ben Janssens Oriental Art藝廊；比利時私人收藏，購於上述藝廊。Ben Janssens 於 1996 年在倫敦開設了他的同名藝廊，專門經營早期中國藝術。 他還曾擔任荷蘭馬斯特裏赫特藝博執行委員會主席。 品相： 狀況良好，舊時磨損，自然的年齡裂縫，細膩的蜜色包漿。 背面添加了兩個繩孔，表明此拍品可能曾被用作根付挂件。 重量：98.5克 (含底座) 尺寸：高13.3 厘米 (不含底座)，縂14.6 厘米 現代木製底座。(2) 拍賣結果比較：一件十七世紀象牙雕仙人像見倫敦佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2011年5月10日 lot 50, 售價GBP 15,000。