Lot 73. An exceptionally rare blanc-de-chine figure of Guanyin, Impressed He Chaochun seal mark, 17th century. 36.5cm (16 3/8in) high. Estimate £30,000 - 50,000. Sold for £81,250 (€91,942). Photo: Bonhams.

The deity modelled standing above crested waves, wearing a long veil sweeping over the shoulders and flowing robes, the delicate hands together, adorned with a lotus necklace and bangles, her face with a serene expression, the hair tied in a high chignon and framed by an elaborate tiara enclosing a small Amitabha Buddha figure. 

Provenance: Francesco Maria, Marchese Taliani de Marchio (1887 - 1968), Grand Officer of the Italian Crown, Commander of the Order of St Maurice and Lazarus, and Commander of the Order of Pius IX (Ordine Piano), and his wife Archduchess Maragaretha d'Austria Toscana, Marchesa Taliani de Marchio (1894 – 1986). 
Acquired from Tung Koo Tsar Chinese Curios & Arts Co., Shanghai, 20 August 1943.

Note: Avalokiteshvara, or Guanyin, as the deity was known in China, is the most celebrated Bodhisattva in Buddhism. According to Buddhist scriptures, such as the Lotus Sutra, anyone reciting the name of Avalokiteshvara in times of distress would be heard and rescued. Guanyin was thus worshipped as the Chinese Goddess of Compassion and Mercy and became a very popular subject for sculptures and paintings.

He Chaochun was thought to have been a relative, possibly the younger brother of He Chaozong, working about twenty years later and on a smaller scale than the celebrated late Ming dynasty Dehua potter. Displaying a comparable and skillful modelling as He Chaozong, the present Guanyin is characterised by a highly translucent body and radiating grace, particularly notable in her elegant hands and the finely articulated wrists and fingers.

A similar blanc-de-Chine figure of Guanyin, Ming dynasty, is illustrated in J.Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p.252, pl.364. 

A small Dehua figure of a seated monk, Qing dynasty, 17th/18th century, with impressed He Chaochun mark, was sold at Christie's New York, 19 March 2015, lot 444; and see also another Dehua figure of Guanyin, Qing dynasty, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Christie's, Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 113.

A small Dehua figure of a seated monk, He Chaochun mark, Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century, from the Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth. Sold for $46,250 at Christie's New York, 19 March 2015, lot 444. © Christies Images Ltd 2015

Cf. my post: A small Dehua figure of a seated monk, China, Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century

A Dehua figure of Guanyin, Impressed with He Chaochun double gourd seal mark, Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century. Sold for 385,500 € at Christie's, Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 113. © Christies Images Ltd 2015