A large carved and polychrome wood figure of Guanyin, Jin-Yuan Dynasty - Sothebys

carved seated in rajalilisana with the right arm rested on the raised right knee, wearing a dhoti open at the chest to reveal an elaborate necklace, the shoulders draped with a shawl, the face with a benevolent expression beneath the hair piled up into a high chignon, traces of gesso and pigment;124cm., 48 7/8 in. Estimation: 80,000 - 120,000 GBP

PROVENANCE: Purchased from Galerie Beurdeley, Paris in 1976.

NOTE: Carved in the round, this imposing figure represents the bodhisattva Guanyin, the Goddess of Compassion and Mercy. The size and ease in pose, together with the traces of pigment, hint at the original visual effect this figure would have had on visitors to the temple. The carver has skilfully captured the serenity and warmth of Guanyin, who is usually depicted as a beautiful female figure with a gentle smile and adorned in worldly accessories such as ornate tiaras and necklaces to emphasise her non-ethereal status, in sharp contrast to the stripped-back images of the Buddha. As it was believed that anyone who recited Guanyin’s name during times of distress would be rescued by her, she is the most worshipped deity in Buddhism and has therefore been frequently depicted in sculptural form.

Compare a standing figure of Guanyin with related facial features, such as the pointed nose and broad eyes, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco from the Avery Brundage collection, illustrated in Rene-Yvon d’Argence (ed.), Chinese, Korean and Japanese Sculpture in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1974, pl. 145. A slightly earlier but similarly carved figure, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 18th March 1991, lot 343, was included in the exhibition The Art of Contemplation. Religious Sculpture from Private Collections, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1997, cat. no. 84; and another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is published in Hai-wai yi-chen. Chinese Art in Overseas Collections. Buddhist Sculpture II, Taipei, 1990, pl. 142.

The result of Radio Carbon Dating Measurement Report no. RCD-8065 is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. London | 15 mai 2013 www.sothebys.com