A RARE PALE CELADON JADE FIGURE OF GUANYIN IN... Lot 622

A RARE PALE CELADON JADE FIGURE OF GUANYIN IN A GROTTO China, 18th c. H. 29 cm Guanyin is standing on a rocky base with both hands elegantly placed in front of her abdomen, her right hand holding rosary, clad in various garments including inner-garment secured with a ribbon knotted to the front and wide-sleeved mantle falling in large pleats downwards leaving her feet bare, her face displays a serene expression with downcast eyes below arched eyebrows that run into her nose-bridge, smiling lips, her hair coiffed in a chignon and covered with a large textile panel falling down in pleats over her shoulders and the grotto in which Guanyin stands is realistic sculpted with plants and bush growing between the rock sections. Weight: 3803 g Old German noble collection, acquired by a family member in China around 1900 in China - This carving is notable for the sense of depth that is evoked through the layers of deep undercutting to depict a rocky and mysterious grotto. The craftsman has cleverly taken advantage of the natural white inclusions to add texture to the outermost layer of the grotto, which also serves to frame the central scene. It is more common to find grotto scenes of luohan; compare a carving included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 61; and one from the Art Institute of Chicago - Very few tiny chips, otherwise good condition