19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Details

A LARGE DEHUA STANDING FIGURE OF GUANYIN
19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY
The figure is shown standing on a double-lotus base, and wearing long layered garments adorned with ornate beaded jewelry. The hair is drawn back into two knots at the shoulders, and gathered under a ribbed court headdress encircled by an elaborate beaded crown centered by a seated figure of Amitabha Buddha. She holds a stem of willow leaves in the right hand, and a small bowl in the left. A double-gourd mark reading Fujian Dehua zhizao (made in Fujian Dehua) and a seal mark, Da Ming Xuande nian zhi (made in the year of Xuande of great Ming), are impressed on the back.
19 in. (48.2 cm.) high

Provenance

Acquired in New York prior to 1990.

Brought to you by

Nick Wilson

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nwilson@christies.com 212 636 2180

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Lot Essay

The goddess Guanyin, also known as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, is venerated as the goddess of mercy and compassion. One of the most popular subjects in Chinese art, early representations portray the deity as male, but by the Qing dynasty, particularly in porcelain, she was depicted as a beautiful female. She is often depicted, as seen on the present figure, holding a willow leaf, the Buddhist symbol of both physical and spiritual healing.

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