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Lot Essay
Buddhism flourished during the Qing dynasty, and was encouraged by the devotion of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. As a result of its popularity, the production of Buddhist statuary, ritual objects, vessels and other implements became widespread, and a variety of materials were employed in their manufacture including jade. While jade was amongst these materials, large jade figures of Buddhist deities appear to be rare. Compare a similarly dressed white jade seated Buddha from Stephen Junkunc III, sold at Christie’s New York, 26 March 2010, lot 1104 (fig. 1).
The current figure was in the collection of Madam Fu Mong Chin (1834-1900), the daughter of the late-Qing scholar-official Fu Shoutong, and mother of the eminent politician and entrepreneur Zhu Qiqian (1871-1964). Madam Fu was a native of Guiyang, Guizhou Province and an established poet. An anthology of her poems was published under the title Zijinghua guan shi, ‘Poems from the Bauhinia Studio’. The figure then entered the collection of Zhu Qiqian and was passed down within the family.
The current figure was in the collection of Madam Fu Mong Chin (1834-1900), the daughter of the late-Qing scholar-official Fu Shoutong, and mother of the eminent politician and entrepreneur Zhu Qiqian (1871-1964). Madam Fu was a native of Guiyang, Guizhou Province and an established poet. An anthology of her poems was published under the title Zijinghua guan shi, ‘Poems from the Bauhinia Studio’. The figure then entered the collection of Zhu Qiqian and was passed down within the family.