Chinese Gilt Bronze Guanyin with Acolytes, Ming

A Chinese gilt and painted bronze sculpture of Guanyin with three acolytes dating from the Ming dynasty. Guanyin wears an elaborate robe with a hood hanging over her tall top knot. She sits on a rock suspended over waves with one foot resting on a lotus. Beside her are a flying dove, a water jug, a book, and another object. In her lap stands the infant figure of the deity Muzha holding a rod. To her right is the girl Longnu, standing on a lotus and holding the Pearl of Light. To Guanyin's left is the boy Shancai, standing on a lotus. A patch of ruyi clouds decorates the front of the base of the sculpture.

Dimensions are: 13 1/4 inches tall X 12 1/2 inches wide, 33.7 cm X 31.8 cm. Weight: 8050 grams. All measurements are approximate.

Condition: There is general age wear, including wear to the gilt and paint. There are several missing parts, including the third object beside Guanyin and the object in Muzha's hand. Shancai has been reattached to his lotus stand.

Provenance: From a private New York City collection. A similar example is currently housed in the Liaoning Museum. A similar example with only one acolyte was sold at Bonhams Edinburgh on November 15, 2018, as lot 104.

High resolution images can be found here.