A serene bronze figurine of a scholarly figure pondering the distance signed Koichi and dating from the early half of the 20th century. It is 40 cm (16 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Li Bai (also known as Li Po among other names) was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important of the Tang Dynasty if not in Chinese history as a whole. He is believed to have been born in central Asia and grew up in Sichuan Province. The circumstances of his life were turbulent. He was a great swordsman and reportedly killed several men in chivalrous combat in his youthful days. He left home in 725 to wander through the Yangtze River Valley and write poetry. Over the years he would marry four times. In 742 he was appointed to the Hanlin Academy by Emperor Xuanzong, though he was eventually expelled from court. He then served the Prince of Yun, who led a revolt after the An Lushan Rebellion of 755. Li Bai was arrested for treason; after he was pardoned, he again wandered the Yangtze Valley. He was friends with the poet Du Fu. His work influenced a number of 20th-century poets, including Ezra Pound and James Wright.
