A LARGE INLAID WHITE JADE FIGURE OF GUANYIN QING DYNASTY, 18TH – 19TH CENTURY |

well worked from a translucent substantial boulder, the standing figure rendered with the left hand resting on the right wrist, portrayed dressed in a layered robe opening at the chest to reveal a tasselled necklace, the loose robe cascading down in voluminous folds suggesting the weight of the garment, the face with a benevolent and peaceful expression framed by a pair of pendulous earlobes and neatly incised hair beneath a cowl, the centre of the forehead inlaid with a pink urna, the stone of an even white colour with faint veins, the later added green jade stand worked in the form of a double-lotus pedestal with a central beaded border

The figure is in very good condition, with only insignificant shallow flakes to the extremities including the edges of the robe and minute chips to the tips of the petals of the stand.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This figure is notable for its large proportions and detailed carving, evident in the naturalistic modelling of the long robe and scarf, which gracefully falls in a fluid cascade over the arms. Depicted wearing a long veil and worldly accessories, including a bejewelled tiara and necklace, the figure’s eyes and head are gently lowered in a movement that captures the deity’s otherworldly nature. The graceful stance and elegant hand with long slender fingers endow the piece with a feminine beauty and an ethereal appeal. Perhaps the most popular and well-known Buddhist deity in China, Avalokiteshvara, in China Guanyin, is the bodhisattva of Mercy and Compassion. Guanyin is described by the Historical Buddha in the Lotus Sutra (Miao Fa Lianhua Jing) as the deity that compassionately provides release and deliverance from suffering to those that recite her name. Here, Guanyin is depicted as a graceful feminine figure, an iconography that first became popular in the Ming period (1368-1644).

A similar figure of Guanyin, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 8: Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 243; and a slightly larger one fashioned holding a bowl and a rosary, from the collections of J. Butterworth and T.Y. Chao, was sold twice in our London rooms in 1959 and 1969, and again in these rooms, 19th May 1987, lot 329.

For the prototype of this iconography, see three bronze figures of Guanyin signed Shisou and attributed to the Ming dynasty, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City. Guanyin in the Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2012, pls 43, 44 and 45.