Lot 180, Auction 4/20/2026: Chinese Ming Gilt & Lacquered Wood Seated Guanyin

$455.00

In stock

East Asia, China, Ming Dynasty, ca. 16th to 17th century CE. A solemn and radiant vision of compassion, this gilt and lacquered wood figure of Guanyin presents the bodhisattva in quiet meditation, seated in dhyanasana upon a throne carved as a rocky outcrop. Her expression is serene, with downcast eyes and a gentle smile evoking the promise of mercy and watchful guidance. Hands rest folded in the dhyanamudra gesture of meditation, the left fingers cradled by the right palm – a classical iconographic signal of inner stillness and transcendent awareness. The robes fall in elegant folds across her lap and cascade over the throne in deeply carved layers, still rich with traces of red lacquer and shimmering gold leaf. She wears multiple strands of beaded necklaces and a tall, winged tiara-like crown, its central niche inset with a miniature seated figure of Amitabha Buddha – her spiritual progenitor in Pure Land Buddhism. Size: 4.4″ L x 5.5″ W x 13.3″ H (11.2 cm x 14 cm x 33.8 cm)

This emblem affirms her identity as Guanyin, the Chinese transformation of the Indian Avalokiteshvara, bodhisattva of infinite compassion and savior of souls adrift in suffering. Guanyin’s form reflects the Ming dynasty’s religious aesthetic, favoring devotional intimacy and formal elegance. The carving style, with its compact proportions, softly modeled features, and stylized throne, echoes figures preserved in temple shrines across the Jiangnan region. The open cavity at the reverse may have once housed relics or consecrated scrolls, a sacred interior preserving Guanyin’s spiritual potency. Such sculptures served as focus points for domestic or monastic devotion, acting as intermediaries between worshippers and the redemptive realms of Amitabha’s Western Paradise. Despite age and wear, the sculpture retains an undeniable presence, its faded polychrome surface alive with history and prayer.

Historically, carved figural statues held profound cultural and religious significance in China, serving not merely as decoration but as vital conduits for spiritual inspiration, solace, and ancestral veneration. These sacred objects populated homes, clan halls, temples, and public spaces, where altars and shrines honored familial ancestors and a pantheon of deities. The size and opulence of these dedicated spaces reflected a family’s standing, with even modest homes featuring altars for expressing Confucian piety through ancestor worship. Wealthier families often dedicated entire rooms to elaborate shrines, housing images and ancestor tablets – inscribed placards acting as spiritual seats for the deceased, sometimes even found in temple halls where monks offered prayers for their well-being in the afterlife.

Central to imbuing these carvings with spiritual potency was the “eye opening ceremony,” a consecration ritual performed by a senior priest or monk. This process, involving practices like dotting the eyes with cinnabar, pricking them, or anointing them with liquids, was believed to awaken the statue’s senses, enabling it to perceive and respond to devotees’ prayers. Before this ritual, a cavity carved into the statue’s back was filled with sacred documents, a dated paper script honoring the donors and commemorating the event, prayers, and symbolic items representing inner organs, then sealed. The completed, veiled statue was then solemnly carried to the temple for the complex consecration, a communal event believed to imbue the inert carving with life force (chi or qi) and invite the deity’s spirit to reside within.

Condition: Neck has been professionally repaired with repainting over break line as well as in a few other areas. Some nicks and abrasions, as well as age-commensurate surface wear, but, otherwise, nice presentation with liberal remains of gilding. Rich patina to wood.

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection

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