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Lot Essay
This magnificent and large head presents the bodhisattva of Compassion and Mercy. The iconography of the god was originally created on Indian soil and brought to China by monks at the beginning of the Christian era. In the early phase of Chinese Buddhism stone and bronze examples of the god of Compassion were following these Indian iconographic treatises by depicting him as a male god. By the end of the Tang period (618-907) the depiction of Avalokiteshvara or in Chinese Guanyin had gradually become feminized to reach a climax during the Song dynasty (960-1279), when the majority had acquired a definite female appearance. During this period of transition the mercy aspect of the god was emphasized resulting in these stronger female features. The presented superb sculpted head shows the result of this development, which had become the hallmark for all Guanyin representations from now onwards.
This head surpasses in quality known examples in public institutes like the Rietberg Museum, Zurich (O. Siren, Chinese Sculptures in the von der Heydt Collection, Museum Rietberg, Zurich 1959, plate 57), Metropolitan Museum (O. Siren, Chinese Sculpture: From the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, vol. II, SDI Publications, Bangkok 1998, plate 563 C), Wereldmuseum Rotterdam (De Schatten van het Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, Wereldmuseum Rotterdam 2000, p.39) and Musée Guimet.
This head surpasses in quality known examples in public institutes like the Rietberg Museum, Zurich (O. Siren, Chinese Sculptures in the von der Heydt Collection, Museum Rietberg, Zurich 1959, plate 57), Metropolitan Museum (O. Siren, Chinese Sculpture: From the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, vol. II, SDI Publications, Bangkok 1998, plate 563 C), Wereldmuseum Rotterdam (De Schatten van het Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, Wereldmuseum Rotterdam 2000, p.39) and Musée Guimet.