Antique Songzi Guanyin, Bestower of Children, China (16311)

Description

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the cult of Songzi (“Child Giving”) Guanyin became one of China’s most popular religious movements, especially among Popular Religion and Taoist female devotees. It was embraced in all Chinese regions and social strata, including upper classes, court figures and literati as well as the rural peasant classes. In this manifestation, Guanyin holds a child in her lap symbolizing her roles in granting and raising children. She protects women and children during pregnancy and childbirth, prevents their premature illness or death and protects children after birth. Before Ming dynasty Guanyin rarely held a child in her lap. Confucian also greatly increased Songzi Guanyin’s importance by emphasizing that women should seek solace only from female deities especially in requests for off-spring. Holding a male child emphasized that a woman’s most important role is to produce male heirs. Christian missionaries who arrived in China during the 15-17 centuries commissioned local artisans to carve Virgin and Mary images. Songzi images then began to resemble Mary holding baby Jesus. Before that time Guanyin did not hold her child.

Crafted from wood, finished with traditional red and gold lacquer polychrome pigments. This Guanyin is seated in “lalitsana,” the posture of royal ease, her deeply carved elegant robes flow over her pedestal. Her multi lobed crown of stylized lotus leaves covered with gilt and red, and her pendulous ears indicate her regal and enlightened status.  The red color of “fu” (blessings) and gilt are wishes for good luck and prosperity. Her elegant hands caress the child in her lap in the posture of the Buddha immediately after birth with his right hand up and his left pointing down.

As many Buddhist statues were lost or damaged during China’s modernization, this remarkable and beautiful statue is rare and in very good condition with most original gilt pigmentation and lacquer on the front and back. There are expected surface losses, small cracks and old stabilized insect damage and the baby’s arm has been glued together in more recent times. It was consecrated by a monk in an eye-opening ceremony and has its original flat cover. This large provincial Guanyin display the best of China’s provincial traditions, with graceful serenity and compassion combined with relatable elegance.

AI Market Valuation Summary

AI rates this piece as  High Level Category for classical Chinese religious art for the following reasons:

Its substantial size with higher visibility, presence, and structural value indicates it was commissioned by a wealthy devotee or a regional Buddhist temple rather than a standard family. It iconology is rare:  a Songzi Guanyin cradling a fully developed child reflecting the infant Buddha with hands pointing up to the heavens and down to earth asserting his domain over the universe. Having much of the original gilt intact on top of the red lacquer base is rare since most carvings have surfaces eroded by incense smoke, moisture, and handling. This excellent preservation highlights the skill of the artisan’s original brushwork and gold application. The darkened  lacquer, gold leaf oxidation and fading red pigmentation through natural aging indicate temple or household shrine use over generations. Having been consecrated in a “Eye-Opening Ceremony”) means the statue is not a secular artisan craft carving; it has an active spiritual history.

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