Antique Nanhai Guanyin of the South Sea Holding a Scroll, China (16420LKE) SPECIAL PRICE

Description

This outstanding delicately antique carving is Nanhai Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, seated on a rocky outcrop covered with a cloth, a reference to her home in a cave on the island of Putuo in the South China Sea. Other than the Buddha, she is the most revered deity in Mahayana Buddhism and one of the three Great Chinese Goddesses who epitomize the feminine role of compassionate protector. She has 33 manifestations and can appear in any form appropriate for the devotee seeking her aid and as a syncretic deity, is embraced in Taoist and Popular Religion as well as Buddhism. Although she is portrayed standing or seated, most devotees prefer her seated which imparts both a serene and dignified feeling, which is the very picture of enlightenment. Her mature face as here is always gentle, calm and sweet, reflecting infinite wisdom, serenity, love and compassion and has the capacity to calm those who are angry or in despair, comfort those in sorrow and brings forth feelings of love, devotion and contentment. Her almond eyes are half-closed which indicates her perfect harmony of outer and inner life:  half her vision focuses on the outer world, while the other half focuses internally for self-reflection. She sits lalitsana, (royal ease) symbolizing that as a regal personage, she presides over the material world and its possessions as well as the spiritual world. In this brilliantly carved provincial carving her hair in a simple chignon and her a loose robe tied at the waist emphasize her humility. She holds a scroll which may represent the dharma which she constantly reads or the Lotus Sutra that reveals her as protector of the world in the time between the departure of Buddha Shakyamuni and the appearance of the future Buddha, Maitreya.  Her creamy white robe has much of the original paint. Images of enlightened beings are placed in temples, monasteries or on a home altar as a reminder of the spiritual potential inherent within all of us. Mounted on a frosted Acrylic base the piece is in excellent condition with normal signs of wear and age including minor paint loses.