Lot 3
3
A LONGQUAN CELADON SHRINE OF THE SOUTH SEA GUANYIN
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
A LONGQUAN CELADON SHRINE OF THE SOUTH SEA GUANYIN

MING DYNASTY, 15TH CENTURY

Details
A LONGQUAN CELADON SHRINE OF THE SOUTH SEA GUANYIN
Ming Dynasty, 15th Century
Modelled with the deity seated under an arch of openwork scrolling foliage, on rockwork above breaking waves, flanked by a young male and female attendant, the figures left in the biscuit, the reverse pierced with two circular openings, the glaze of grey-green tone thinning to lighter shades over the extremities, small areas of restoration to the attendants, short hairline cracks
9¾ in. (24.7 cm.) high
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

The South Sea Guanyin is a form of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara particular to Chinese Buddhism. The legend explains that a young woman by the name of Miaoshan was martyred and transformed into a manifestation of Avalokitesvara for her piety, and thereafter resided at her South Sea island abode, Potalaka. See Kaikado Journal, Spring 2000, no. 73.
Compare a shrine of larger size in the Illustrated Catalogue of the Tokyo National Museum: Chinese Ceramics, II, Tokyo, 1990, p.20, no. 520; and another illustrated in Porcelains from the Tianjin Municipal Museum, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 68.

More from Chinese Ceramics & Chinese Export Ceramics & Works of Art

View All
View All