Guanyin China, Late 19th Century, Qing Dynasty

China, late 19th century, Qing dynasty.
Guanyin seated, holding the answering pearl. The bodhisattva is depicted seated, wearing a flowing gold cloak with pronounced folds. Her right hand holds a sphere adorned with a small finial, identified as the cintāmaṇi, or answering pearl, a symbol of compassion and spiritual fulfillment.
Her head is adorned with a lotus-shaped topknot, surmounted by a circular medallion repainted in the shape of an eye, likely in the place of a former effigy of Amitābha, Guanyin's tutelary deity. The overall expression of serenity and contemplation exemplifies the temple sculptures produced at the end of the Qing dynasty. Dimensions: 43 x 19 cm
Provenance: Formerly in the collection of actor Arnaud Giovaninetti.
Context: Guanyin, the Chinese incarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, is the figure of compassion in Mahayana Buddhism. Polychrome wooden temple statues from this period were intended for the main altar or side niches of shrines. The pearl she holds, cintāmaṇi, evokes the inner light that dispels ignorance and grants the wishes of the faithful.
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