元 / 明初 鐵觀音首像

the bodhisattva with serene expression, the eyelids lowered between long pendulous ears, the eyebrows, lips and mustache outlined with thin raised lines, the hair also lined and dressed at the front in overlapping curls, a platform around the chignon on the top of the head pierced for the attachment of a diadem, stand (2)

Jay C. Leff 收藏，尤寧敦，賓州，至1962年

The iron with expected oxidation and surface wear throughout. Three losses from damage near the chignon (the largest approximately 5.5 x 15 cm), uneven edge at neck from past breakage, and missing the diadem. Currently mounted on a stone stand by a screw attached to modern metal armature within the head.
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.

Compare a number of similarly cast smaller heads of Guanyin, including one formerly in the collection of The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, sold in these rooms, 18th October 1974, lot 32; another from the collection of Felix Guggenheim, offered in these rooms, 1st May 1978, lot 64; and another, complete with the original diadem, illustrated by Alan Priest, Chinese Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1944, pl. CXXIII.