17th C. Ming-Qing Wood Guanyin - Lotus Throne over Fish

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Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa F...

By Artemis Fine Arts

Aug 22, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-08-22 10:00:00 2025-08-22 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com

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• Lot Description
  East Asia, China, late Ming to early Qing Dynasty, ca. 17th to 18th century CE. A rare and commanding polychrome wood sculpture of Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), the bodhisattva of compassion, carved on an unusually monumental scale. Seated in serene meditation, Guanyin assumes the padmasana posture atop a stylized lotus throne - symbol of spiritual purity - which rises above the subtly undulating form of a fish swimming beneath the surface. The sacred carp is partially visible: its tail fin emerges at the left, while its head - mouth closed and eyes alert - rises from the base at the right. The body is implied below the platform, creating the impression of movement through water. This fluid composition evokes Buddhist symbolism of transformation, perseverance, and the soul's upward journey toward enlightenment. Guanyin's hands rest in the dhyana mudra, the gesture of meditation, conveying serenity and divine focus. Her gentle forward lean, downcast gaze, and soft, rounded features radiate compassion. Size: 10.8" L x 15.6" W x 38.8" H (27.4 cm x 39.6 cm x 98.6 cm)
  
  Her hair is braided into long, sinuous tresses that fall gracefully over her shoulders, while the tall crown adds vertical emphasis to her presence. The figure's flowing robes are sculpted with elegant curvature and retain liberal traces of original pigments - ochre, vermilion, turquoise, and black - all enhancing the sculpture's expressive vitality. An open cavity at the back suggests ritual use, possibly for enshrining sacred objects, further anchoring this piece in devotional practice.
  
  During the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1912) dynasties, Guanyin was one of the most widely venerated deities in Chinese Buddhism. Originally derived from the Indian bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Guanyin evolved in China into a more feminized and maternal figure, associated with boundless compassion, mercy, and salvation. Her worship expanded significantly during these periods, with a proliferation of devotional sculptures, paintings, and popular imagery tailored to households, temples, and pilgrimage sites. Amid the political uncertainty and spiritual yearning of the Ming-Qing transition, Guanyin became a reassuring presence for devotees seeking protection, healing, and rebirth.
  
  The fish beneath Guanyin carries rich symbolic meaning within Buddhist and Chinese cultural traditions. In Buddhism, the fish often represents spiritual liberation - free to swim through the waters of samsara without drowning in suffering. In Chinese folklore, particularly in Daoist and Confucian contexts, the carp is a symbol of perseverance, transformation, and auspicious fortune, known for its mythical ability to leap over the Dragon Gate and become a dragon. Depicting Guanyin elevated above a fish subtly merges these traditions, reinforcing her power to uplift sentient beings from the depths of suffering toward enlightenment. Such imagery would have resonated deeply with worshippers, offering visual affirmation of spiritual transcendence and divine grace.
  
  Historically, carved figural statues held profound cultural and religious significance in China, serving not merely as decoration but as vital conduits for spiritual inspiration, solace, and ancestral veneration. These sacred objects populated homes, clan halls, temples, and public spaces, where altars and shrines honored familial ancestors and a pantheon of deities. The size and opulence of these dedicated spaces reflected a family's standing, with even modest homes featuring altars for expressing Confucian piety through ancestor worship. Wealthier families often dedicated entire rooms to elaborate shrines, housing images and ancestor tablets - inscribed placards acting as spiritual seats for the deceased, sometimes even found in temple halls where monks offered prayers for their well-being in the afterlife.
  
  Central to imbuing these carvings with spiritual potency was the "eye opening ceremony," a consecration ritual performed by a senior priest or monk. This process, involving practices like dotting the eyes with cinnabar, pricking them, or anointing them with liquids, was believed to awaken the statue's senses, enabling it to perceive and respond to devotees' prayers. Before this ritual, a cavity carved into the statue's back was filled with sacred documents, a dated paper script honoring the donors and commemorating the event, prayers, and symbolic items representing inner organs, then sealed. The completed, veiled statue was then solemnly carried to the temple for the complex consecration, a communal event believed to imbue the inert carving with life force (chi or qi) and invite the deity's spirit to reside within.
  
  Cf. Bowers Museum, 2005.37.1.
  
  Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection, acquired from 1990 - 2005
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #193614

  Condition

  Missing cover to consecration cavity in verso. Restoration to hair. Old, inactive insect damage throughout. Some stable fissures, chips, nicks, and abrasions as shown, all commensurate with age. Repainted in areas. Nice remaining form and detail.
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