Chinese Gilt Boxwood Sculpture of Guanyin

Chinese Gilt Boxwood Sculpture of Guanyin, Qing Dynasty, Late 18th Century AD. This is a sculpture of the beloved Chinese Buddhist Bodhisattva Guanyin, here well rendered in coveted boxwood and covered in gilt lacquer and gold leaf. This small piece is of unusually high quality, and not the typical popular Chinese altar type. Tilting forward on her circular lotus base (the piece was meant to be placed high) the goddess, who hears all those who call out for her help, is dressed in her iconic flowing robes with her arms crossed. She holds a vase with her head hooded and serenely looks onward. Scattered age cracks and losses to gilt. Provenance, from a Michigan collection, acquired in the mid-20th century. H. 8" (20.3 cm)..