A Famille-Verte figure of a seated Guanyin, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period. Photo courtesy Sotheby's

the figure, seated with legs folded, holding a ruyi scepter in one hand and a fly whisk in the other, wearing an elegantly draped green-glazed robe painted with lotus, the head, covered by a long cowl falling over the shoulders painted with leafy florets, the face well-modeled with a benevolent expression, a small square aperture on the back, the base unglazed. Height 8 1/4  in., 21 cm. Estimation 6,000 — 8,000 USD

PROVENANCE: Collection of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960).
Collection of Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller (1908-1979).
Collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York, acquired in the 1980s.

NOTE: John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was an avid collector of fine Chinese porcelain. In 1915 he wrote to his father asking for a loan of two million dollars in order to purchase pieces from the Morgan Collection which was then being offered by the Duveens. In the letter he appeals, "I have never squandered money on horses, yachts, automobiles or other foolish extravagances. A fondness of the porcelains is only hobby - the only thing on which I have cared to spend money." In addition to the Duveens, Rockefeller also had close buying relationships with other leading dealers of the day among whom were C.T. Loo & Co., Yamanaka & Co., and the Ralph M. Chait Galleries. For further reading on the Rockefeller Collection see A Passion for Asia: the Rockefeller Legacy, The Asia Society, New York, 2006, Roy Davids and Dominic Jellineck, Provenance, Great Britain, 2011, pp. 378-379.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 17 sept. 2013 - http://www.sothebys.com