Figure
Category
Ceramics
Date
1660 - 1710
Materials
porcelain
Measurements
430 x 102 x 64 mm
Place of origin
Dehua
Order this imageCollection
Wallington, Northumberland
NT 581859
Summary
Figure of Guanyin, porcelain, the standing female figure wears a crown and a long veil, her robes are open to display a jewelled necklace and she stands on a plinth formed of cloud scrolls, made in Dehua, Fujian province, China, 1660–1710; undecorated porcelain with a clear glaze.
Full description
Guanyin 觀音 is a bodhisattva, a figure in Buddhism who has achieved spiritual enlightenment but who remains in the mortal realm to help others. In Chinese folk belief Guanyin was seen as a goddess of mercy and was thought to be able to ensure the birth of healthy children (McArthur 2002). Although originally made for the Chinese market and intended for religious worship, representations of Buddhist figures in Dehua porcelain were also exported to Europe from the seventeenth century onwards, where they were admired for their material finesse. This type of porcelain is sometimes known in the West as ‘blanc de Chine’ (‘Chinese white’).
Provenance
Gift from Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan 3rd Bt