A LARGE GILT-LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF GUANYIN QING DYNASTY, 17TH / 18TH CENTURY

the bodhisattva seated in rajalilasana, the posture of 'royal ease', with the right arm extended, supported on a raised knee in vitarka mudra, the deity wearing a voluminous robe falling in soft pleats gathered at the base, revealing the bare chest adorned with a tiered, beaded necklace, the well-articulated face with a pensive expression, a cowl resting lightly over the hair drawn up in a high chignon and secured by an ornate diadem

Collection of Nils Nessim (1916-1974), Stockholm.

With wear, age splits, cracks, and small scattered lacquer losses throughout. Small chips and breaks to the headdress. The urna likely replaced, with visible glue remnants, and several of the fingers broken and repaired. The back with remnants of 2 old circular labels and the underside with heavy wear typical of age.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Intricately carved with elaborate jewelry and heavy falling robes, the sculptor of this figure of Guanyin has skilfully captured the warmth of the deity in the gentle smile, while her half-closed eyes convey a state of deep contemplation. The gilding and pigments hint at the original sumptuousness and striking visual effect this sculpture would have made on temple visitors, who would have encountered it in an elaborate almost stage-like setting. 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 three-dimensional form.

This figure is depicted in the pose of ‘royal ease’, which is thought to have originated from an episode in the ‘Flower Garland’ or Avatamsaka Sutra (Ch. Huayan), in which its protagonist, the youth Sudhana, in his search for true wisdom, seeks Avalokiteshvara on his island residence on Mount Potalaka (Ch. Budaluojia), where the divine Compassionate One appears in ‘royal ease’ within a grotto to debate with Sudhana. The origin and development of this pose and its variants are discussed in Derek Gillman, ‘A New Image in Chinese Buddhist Sculpture of the Tenth to Thirteenth Century’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, 1982-83, vol. 47, London, 1983, pp. 32-44.

A similar gilt-lacquered sculpture of Guanyin was sold at Bonhams London, 14th May 2015, lot 64; another was sold at Christie’s London, 10th June 1996, lot 209; a slightly smaller and less elaborate example, in the British Museum, London, is published on the Museum’s website, OA+.7339; and another, but lacking the lacquer gilding, was sold at Christie’s London 14th December 1987, lot 256, and again in the same rooms, 7th December 1992, lot 88. For a later version, see two gilt-lacquered figures of the deity attributed to the Qing dynasty, similarly seated in rajalilasana, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Guanyin in the Collection of the Palace Museum. Classics of the Forbidden City, Beijing, 2012, pls 205 and 206.