Guanyin; China, 20th century

Guanyin; China, 20th century
Soapstone
Measurements: 56 x 23 x 23 cm.

Freestanding sculpture carved from steatite. The composition depicts the bodhisattva Guanyin seated on a promontory. On her head she wears a tall bun adorned with a tiara (ushnisha), while her hands hold a long string of prayer beads (mala) that curves down over her legs. The artisan took advantage of the stone block’s dual coloration, carving the image of the bodhisattva from the light green veins and reserving the dark matrix to carve the rocky grotto on which she sits.

This iconographic type refers to the depiction of Guanyin dwelling on the sacred Potalaka Mountain above the waters, one of the most widespread devotions in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism since the Song Dynasty. Sculptures of this style, carved from ornamental stones with visual hallmarks, were intended for private worship on personal altars and for high-end Oriental decorative art during the 20th century.