17TH CENTURY

Guanyin is depicted here standing gracefully on a base of overlapping and swirling waves, wearing long, layered robes cascading in elegant folds. Finely detailed, the figure's downcast eyes and gently indented lips convey a serene and benevolent expression. She is adorned with a bejeweled necklace draped across her chest, while her hair is swept back behind a diadem and partially concealed beneath a cowl.

Guanyin figures are most commonly depicted either with a child, as in representations of Songzi Guanyin (Guanyin Bestowing Children), or holding attributes closely associated with the deity, such as a kundika (water flask) and willow branch. Other popular iconographic forms also may portray Guanyin carrying a flower basket. In contrast, the present figure holds a small cup in her hands, an unusual attribute that distinguishes it from more conventional representations. A comparable Guanyin figure depicted without an attribute in the hands were sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3324.