A FINE SILVER-WIRE INLAID BRONZE OF GUANYIN

Estimated Value:

6.000 € - 10.000 €

Result:

incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

China, two-character mark Shisou in silver-wire, late Ming dynasty
H. 19,4 cm
The deity is shown seated in rajalilasana, her robes falling gracefully around the body and are decorated with clouds and scroll ing pattern outlined in silver inlay. The deity is modelled a serene expression with eyes downcast in tranquil contemplation, her hair upswept in a topknot, a beaded necklace draped across the torso and her urna is inlaid with a silver bead. The marker's mark Shisou is inlaid in silver at the back of her dress.
Collection of the Munich Art dealer Ludwig Bretschneider (1909-1987), by descent to a family member
Shisou is believed to have been a monk who worked in the late Ming period (c.1620-44), but there is no specific information on him, it is also possible that it is the name of a bronze studio or school. Shisou-marked figures are usually finely cast and ex tremely graceful as the present sculpture. A Shisou-marked seated bronze figure of Guanyin, dated mid-16th to mid-17th cen tury is illustrated in Emperor, Scholar, Monk, Sydney Moss Ltd., London, 1984, pp. 280-1, no. 132, is quite similar to the present f igure in the shape and expression of the face, the hairdo, the silver-inlaid urna and decoration of the robe borders, as well as its quality of graceful elegance - Few tiny chips, very minor wear

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