Antique Chinese & Japanese PorcelainEuropean Ceramics & Works of Art
Chinese seated figure of Guanyin, Kangxi (1662-1722), in famille verte enamels, with beads adorning figure’s neck, a ruyi sceptre in her right hand, and her yellow robe decorated with lingzhi mushrooms, bats and ‘shou’ symbol. Sold
Dimensions:
Height: 17.5cm. (6 7/8in.)
Condition:
Some damage
Notes:
Originating in India, where she is known as Avalokitesvara, Guanyin represents the mortal Buddha of compassion and mercy. Buddhism probably arrived in China with travelling monks in the first century BC and was widely adopted, with Buddhist figures such as Avalokitesvara being transformed into the Chinese deity Guanyin over the course of centuries. Such transformation is clear in this example, with a robe adorned with Chinese symbols of longevity: the bat, homophenous with the Chinese word for prosperity (fu); the lingzhi, sacred fungus which was believed by Daoist mystics to grow in the dwelling places of the immortals and offer eternal life; and the ‘shou’ character (literally ‘longevity’).
Guest & Gray 58 Davies StreetLondonW1K 5LP
