572 - A Daoist ancestral shrine from the Qing dynasty, China, 19th century.

A Daoist ancestral shrine from the Qing dynasty, China, 19th century. A large domestic temple or ancestral altar from Shanxi Province, crafted from yumu wood (elm) using traditional construction methods involving mortise and tenon joints (Chinese: Sunmao = ‘tenon and mortise’), modelled on a smaller scale after the famous wooden temples of Shanxi Province; three pairs of double doors lead into the interior, between the doors and on two columns set in front, poetic verses on ancestor worship are inscribed in carved and gilded characters; the roof imitates the typical rounded tile covering; the altar can be removed from the accompanying table; in very good condition, 190 x 114 x 107 cm, Provenance: Former private collection in Heidelberg (cannot be dispatched via DHL; collection or transport by a haulage contractor only)