Modelled seated with the right knee raised and the left leg tucked beneath, the arms resting on the right knee beneath a voluminous robe opening at the chest and falling in layered folds to reveal the right foot, the face with a contemplative expression, downcast eyes and pendulous earlobes, the brows, moustache and beard picked out in tight curls, the back impressed with a apochyphal He Chaozong seal mark within a double-gourd cartouche and a Xuande seal mark. Height 21.5 cm. Height with later wood stand 27.5 cm.
Small repair at the base of the robe.
Purchased in Denmark, bears an Bruun-Rasmussen label.
Two similar, however, unmarked, but from the period blanc de Chine figures of Bodhidharma are preserved in the British Museum, London, published in Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, nos 17:13 and 17:14.