THREE LARGE SOAPSTONE 'FU LU SHOU' FIGURES China, Republic period (1912-1949). Depicting the Sanxing, the gods of the three stars 'Fu lu shou' (Happiness, prosperity, and longevity). Fuxing holds a child, Luxing holds a ruyi-sceptre, and Shoulao holds the "Peach of Immortality". All finely carved and painted in iron-red and gold, the bases stamped with an apocryphal Yongzheng mark. Condition: Very good condition with surface wear and very few tiny notches to exposed areas. Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik Istvan Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. Istvan Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe. Weight: 2728, 3133 and 2792 g Dimensions: Heights c. 29 cm each