Description
A LIAO DYNASTY GOLD REPOUSSé 'GUANYIN' FILIGREE ORNAMENT
China, 916-1125. The Goddess of Mercy seated cross-legged on an elaborate lotus throne, sumptuously dressed in a finely incised robe, wearing jewels and a crown, holding a lotus flower in her right hand and a bottle containing the elixir of life in her left, with a circular halo around her head.
Provenance: The Chinese Scholar Ltd., Toronto. Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above at the 2004 Arts of Pacific Asia Art Fair in New York (no invoice available). Dr. de Jong is a Dutch art historian and has been privately collecting Chinese art over decades. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts spanning from the Middle Ages to the modern era and published an extensive study of saddle rugs in Dragon & Horse. Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond. Between 1976 and 2009 he worked for numerous museums across the Netherlands and was director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch.
Condition: Good condition, very impressive considering the age of this piece! Minor wear, small dents, scratches, some losses. Possibly minuscule old repairs here and there. One of the arms shows a breakage in one place. Fine copper red patina with encrustations.
Weight: 10.1 g
Dimensions: Height 7.5 cm
Note the small bird to Guanyin’s right, whispering the Lotus Sutra in her ear. Many details, including the bird as well as the bottle and the lotus flower in her hands, were crafted separately and are attached with gold wire.
Considering the use of gold as well as the high quality of craftsmanship, this ornament was most probably once part of a rich headdress belonging to an important Liao noblewoman.
Literature comparison: Sch?tze der Liao – Chinas vergessene Nomadendynastie 907-1125, Museum Rietberg Zürich 2007, no. 3 (detail), p. 102.
遼代觀音鏊金裝飾
中國,916-1125。觀音雙腿交叉坐於蓮座上,身著精美長袍,戴著珠寶和冠冕,右手捧著一朵蓮花,左手拿著一瓶盛著净水的瓶子,頭上有一個圓形的光環。
來源:多倫多The Chinese Scholar Ltd.。 Drs. Koos de Jong收藏,2004年購於紐
約亞洲藝術博覽會(發票已遺失)。Drs. de Jong是一位荷蘭藝術史學家, 幾十年來他一直私人收藏中國藝術品。他撰寫了數百篇文章和幾本書,內容涉及從中世紀到現代的荷蘭美術和裝飾藝術。 2013年,他在《Dragon & Horse:Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》中發表了有關中國騎馬裝備的詳盡研究。1976年至2009年間,他曾在荷蘭的許多博物館工作,並曾擔任登博世歐洲陶瓷工作中心的主任。
品相:狀況良好,鑒於到這件作品的年齡,品相非常令人印象深刻! 輕微磨損,小凹痕,划痕,一些損失。 局部有舊時小修補。一隻手臂有破損。 精緻的銅紅色銅綠,有結殼。
重量:10.1 克
尺寸:高7.5 厘米