Untitled

Unknown

16th–17th century · Leaded tin brass; lost-wax cast · Asian Art

The Pole Star, a popular religious figure associated with the Lord of Literature (Wen Chang Dijun), was the tutelary spirit presiding over the civil-service examinations. Depicted as a demonic figure (the name of the star is a homophone for the word for "eminent," which is composed of the ideograph for "demon" and the ideograph for "dipper"), the Pole Star had a cult that became particularly important in Ming times, when the number of examination candidates competing for the limited number of available official appointments made divine help all the more welcome. This dynamic figure shows the god in the act of adding the final dot to the Big Dipper constellation over which he presides. The deity, his robes swept backward by a cosmic wind, balanced on one foot (now missing) while holding aloft a brush (also missing). In his left hand he grasps an ingot of gold or silver, symbolic of the emoluments forth-coming from examination success.

Artist

Unknown

Date

16th–17th century

Medium

Leaded tin brass; lost-wax cast

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 1998