Antique Guanyin with Lobed Crown, China (16151LME) $475

$475.00

H: 11.625″  W: 5.325″  D: 4.25″  | FREE SHIPPING!

Made for placement on a home altar, this small Guanyin sits in lotus position (padmasana) feet upward and exposed, hands clasped in anjali mudra of prayer, reverence, respect. With a full face and downcast eyes, she is depicted in modest provincial style with symbols of her bodhisattva status: a 5-lobed diadem, hair in a chignon, braids draping down her shoulders, and a flowing robe. Her pendulous ears are a sign of wisdom, her ability to hear the cries of sentient beings, and her spiritual awakening. It is covered with gilt as a sign of her enlightened status.

Description

Lee Irvin calls Guanyin one of the Great Chinese Goddesses who are all imperially sanctioned and epitomize the feminine role of compassionate protectors who grant health, long life and safety to all regardless of their social position. Each has large temples, monasteries and small local shrines dedicated to them. In this antique-Chinese-wood-carving her hands are clasped in front of the heart in anjali (“Sanskrit for “divine offering”) the mudra of prayer, reverence, respect, and also a universal Buddhist greeting. She sits on a two part waisted padmapitha lotus throne with each part covered with  individual lotus pedals. The lotus is the Buddhist symbol of purity, spontaneous generation, divine birth, flowering of the mind, freedom from the darkness of this world and usually appears only with enlightened beings. Like human effort to reach enlightenment the lotus   grows out of mud into a flower of striking beauty. The Lalitavistara Sutra states “the spirit of man can be spotless, like the new lotus in the muddy water which does not adhere to it.” The carved back cavity is sealed with the cover (bung) placed when it was consecrated. It is in good condition commensurate with its age with most of its gilt, pigment, and lacquer extant with expected minor chips, hairline cracks, and paint and lacquer losses. It is part of the VA Collection of Buddhist-Art.

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Source:
Lee Irwin, “Divinity and Salvation: The Great Goddesses of China,” in Asian Folklore Studies, Indiana University, Vol. 49, 1990, pp 53-68.

Additional information

Weight 6 lbs
Dimensions 11 × 9 × 6 in
Place of Origin

China

Period

Antique, Qing Dynasty

Date

19th Century

Materials and Technique

Wood

Dimensions (inches)

11.625’ W: 5.325” D: 4.25”

Dimensions (metric)

Ht: 29.53cm W: 13.52cm D: 10.79cm

Weight

1 lb 5 0z

Condition

Good condition, see description

Reference Number

16151LME

Shipping Box Size