Chinese Mudmen

[Cariboo5]

Looking for help on where these mudmen were made. These are crudely made and so far I have not been able to find any similar mudmen figures. Not sure when these were made but possibly circa 1895 - 1920 era. I looked at the pottery centers of the Shiwan and Wanjiang area in Guangdong Province and could not find any info there.
Not only are the feet different than what I have seen but there are wires in each mudman to hold the different objects and for balance. Looks like they are carrying the emperor in some type of celebration. All help in finding location of manufacture is appreciated....

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[Red-Coat]

I'm just heading for bed, but the first thing that struck me is the red flag with blue square and white sun in the first group of figures.

The blue part of that flag was based on a design from 1894 but the red field wasn't added until 1906. Initially it was used by the Chinese navy and didn't become the official flag for the Republic of China until 1928. It was replaced when the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

 

[Cariboo5]

I'm just heading for bed, but the first thing that struck me is the red flag with blue square and white sun in the first group of figures.

The blue part of that flag was based on a design from 1894 but the red field wasn't added until 1906. Initially it was used by the Chinese navy and didn't become the official flag for the Republic of China until 1928. It was replaced when the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

You nailed it and the flags are the reason I mentioned circa 1895 - 1920 era. I have some broken pieces in this collection and maybe someone can tell
by the clay used where it may have come from....

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[Professor of Engineering]

Very cool collection, thanks for sharing!

 

[JimDon]

I think I would classify it as a folk art piece probably made by an individual for some unknown reason. Extremely cool

 

[Red-Coat]

It is a very nice set, but not a one-off piece of folk art. Several sets have appeared on eBay over the years, with no-one definitively giving an age or origin. Here's a similar set from WorthPoint (same feet and wire-supported construction):

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-mudmen-clay-figure-chinese-1874369839

I would just say again that the presence of the red flag with blue square and white sun in the first group of figures means they can't possibly have been produced before 1906 and are more likely post-1928 when what had previously been a naval flag became the official flag for the Republic of China (until 1949).

 

[Cariboo5]

It is a very nice set, but not a one-off piece of folk art. Several sets have appeared on eBay over the years, with no-one definitively giving an age or origin. Here's a similar set from WorthPoint (same feet and wire-supported construction):

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-mudmen-clay-figure-chinese-1874369839

I would just say again that the presence of the red flag with blue square and white sun in the first group of figures means they can't possibly have been produced before 1906 and are more likely post-1928 when what had previously been a naval flag became the official flag for the Republic of China (until 1949).

Thanks Red-Coat, I would say I think you are correct and we can now put the dates from 1928 - 1949 time frame which should be in the ball park.
Worthpoint calls it a "wedding parade" or it could be a "rites of passage" depending on what type of pieces are in the set. The set I have has 122 figures.
They also used British cigarette paper labels. There is one piece here that may refer to a funeral procession (maybe?) Now if only could find out the origin...

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[Red-Coat]

Wow! 122 figures is quite some set. I would suspect that someone has combined several sets with different 'themes' over a period of time, but they are likely all from the same era and source.

 

[Cariboo5]

Wow! 122 figures is quite some set. I would suspect that someone has combined several sets with different 'themes' over a period of time, but they are likely all from the same era and source.

Exactly and I would like to find that source......Thanks again as your input is greatly appreciated...

 

[Yang Hao]

The bottom photo of the figure holding the flag is interesting. The flag seems to be sideways and the first character looks strange. It almost looks to be a combination of the character 为 and 开。 I would guess the flag should be 武道 wǔdào which means martial arts. It could also be 力道 lìdào which means strength or power. Those are just guesses as to what the first character should be.

 

[Yang Hao]

I was looking at the photos again and noticed the men holding the lanterns. The characters on the lanterns are 喜 xǐ which means happy or joyous.

 

[Cariboo5]

I was looking at the photos again and noticed the men holding the lanterns. The characters on the lanterns are 喜 xǐ which means happy or joyous.

Yang Hao...thanks for the interpretation.