Lot 335. A large and impressive 'Longquan' celadon Guanyin shrine, Ming dynasty, 15th century, 51cm., 20 1/8 in. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 GBP. Lot sold 60,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

the Goddess finely modelled seated in 'royal ease' within a rocky alcove on a tiered rockwork throne, wearing a flowing robe and elaborate beaded jewellery, her face with gentle smile beneath a high tiara, all framed within an arch applied with a freely modelled bird and the 'Vase of Immortality' perched on ledges amidst scrolling leafy vines and lotus, at the base stand two acolytes on rocky ledges above foaming waves, covered overall in a rich bluish-green glaze save for the faces, hands and some vessels which are reserved in the reddish-brown biscuit.

Provenance: Collection of Charles Russell.

Sotheby's London, 12th July 1960, lot 123.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1964, pl. 167.

Note: It is extremely rare to find a 'Longquan' celadon shrine of this impressive size, and the present piece is exceptional for its extensive delicately modelled details, which demonstrate the skill of the Longquan potters in the production of devotional figures for the home market. The goddess is shown as Guanyin of the South Sea, who, according to legend, was a virtuous young woman martyred and consequently transformed into a manifestation of Avalokitesvara for her piety. Flanked by her two acolytes, Longnu and Shancai, the waves represent her home in the South Sea, while the beggar's bowls symbolise her role as the Goddess of Mercy. In the tradition of celadon figures, the face and hands have been left unglazed to allow for the application of pigment or gilding.

Compare a slightly smaller two-tiered shrine illustrated in Julian Thompson, 'Chinese Celadons', Arts of Asia, November-December, 1993, front cover, and sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th November 1996, lot 615; and a similar example in the Charles Russell collection illustrated by R. L. Hobson et. al., Chinese Ceramics in Private Collections, London, 1931, p. 187. A larger shrine from the Edward T. Chow collection, engraved with a date equivalent to 1385, is illustrated in Sheila Riddell, Dated Chinese Antiquities, 600-1650, London, 1979, pl. 11, and was sold in these rooms, 16th December 1980, lot 324, and again, 16th June 1998, lot 232.

'Longquan' celadon shrines of this type are generally much smaller, for example see one from the Evelyn Annenberg Hall collection sold at Christie's New York, 29th March 2006; another from the estate of Stanley Hertzman sold at Christie's New York, 20th September 2002, lot 308; and a third from the collection of J. C. Dragon II sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5thNovember 1996, lot 615.

Sotheby's. Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork, Early Gold and Silver; Early Chinese White, Green and Black Wares London, 14 May 2008