Hello Julia, I’m very glad that you chose Mearto for your online appraisal, Considering the photographs, overall pattern, material and the colours, I concluded that this is a Medium Molded Sculpture of A Reclining Monk made of Plaster. This piece is very likely Chinese and dates back to the period between 1960-1980. Plaster was a very common material for decorative arts throughout the 20th century. In your piece the plaster was the main material used although I believe also carved Soapstone might be used on face and feet, if they have a different texture without cracks of plaster you can easily recognize this. Other possibility is that the face and the feet were polished unlike the rest of the plaster parts. Based on the appearence of the man and the clothes, I concluded that the character was a depiction of a monk. We can see his long robe and the decorations of wisdom are visible on it. The monks were also the workers of their monastries, they would cultivate the land and do the necessary repaires. Working like afarmer or a repair man was a part of the daily life. This historic data helps us understand the shovel and the hanging hat in the back of the sculpture. Sculpting process was mainly composed of molding the plaster. Therefore the hand made part of this piece is the paintings and maybe some minimal carving. The monk is depicted as covered by two different robes either to cover himself from the cold or to sleep during windy times. At the back of the composition we can see a depiction of a wooden backing which the monk rely on during his reclining position. The piece also has a decorative base under the sculpture. Made of plaster and possibly soapstone. The piece is in fair condition with various cracks and chips to the plaster. Molded plaster, minimal hand carving. Dimensions: 20 Inches Long, 7.5 Inches Wide and 11 Inches High Condition: The piece is in fair condition with various cracks and chips to the plaster. Provenance: Purchased from an estate sale by the current owner's mother. 100-150$. Please don’t hesitate to reach us again for more online appraisals on your precious items, thank you for choosing Mearto.
