The bodhisattva Guanyin upon a deer
Chinese School
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
1850 - 1950
Materials
Soapstone and wood
Measurements
315 x 153 mm
Place of origin
Jingdezhen
Order this imageCollection
Upton House, Warwickshire
NT 446859
Summary
A modern Chinese soapstone sculpture of Guanyin, riding upon a deer which turns its head, and accompanied by an attendant. Guanyin holds a vase in her hands, whilst her attendant carries a staff and baggage. The sculpture sits on a carved hardwood base, and has been adapted for use as a lamp, with a metal stem rising behind for the lamp fitting, which is covered with a square fringed shade (UPT.T.85). Guanyin is a bodhisattva in the Buddhist religion, a being who chooses not to enter Nirvana so that he or she can remain accessible to other beings, including men and women on earth, until all are saved. Guanyin is the most popular bodhissatva among the Chinese and can take many forms, both male and female, and both the natural body and symbolic forms with, for example, many arms. In this sculpture Guanyin is in female form and appears to be on a journey; the vase or water bottle (kundika or ch’ing p’ing) that she carries is the pure vessel of ambrosia or heavenly dew that bestows immortality. Likewise, the deer is also symbolic of a successful life, since the Chinese word for deer, lu, is a homophone for ‘income'.
Credit line
National Trust Collections (Upton House, The Bearsted Collection)
Makers and roles
Chinese School, carver