18th Century Chinese Carved Deity

A good 18th Century carved figure of a Chinese Deity.

It has been heavily carved with upraised decoration to the chest and painted predominantly red and gilded all over.

It is possible that it is the God of literature with his eyes downcast and his hand raised.

There are paint and gilt losses as one would expect with an artefact of this age. However, there are no serious losses to the overall figure, it is highly decorative and has wonderful atmosphere.