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Standing Guanyin

A work made of dehua ware (blanc de chine); porcelain.

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  • A work made of dehua ware (blanc de chine); porcelain.

Date:

Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Artist:

China; Dehua, Fujian province

About this artwork

In the late Ming dynasty, sailors and fishermen of southeast coastal China worshipped this bodhisattva, Guohai Guanyin, as a savior. The goddess was believed to float across the sea on a lotus flower, rescuing men in a tempest. The refined porcelain body and delicate, creamy white glaze indicate that this statue was made at the kilns of Dehua, a rural county in southeast China that is famous for its fine, white porcelain stone. The square seal impressed on its back shoulder attributes this figure to a well-known porcelain sculptor of Dehua, He Chaozong (active late 16th early 17th century).

Beginning in the late seventeenth century, Dehua figures and vessels were dispatched to world markets. Porcelains of this type subsequently achieved fame in Europe under the French name, blanc de chine (“white from China”), and inspired similar English and French wares in soft-paste porcelain, notably at Chelsea and Meissen.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Standing Guanyin

Place

China (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1644–1911

Medium

Dehua ware (blanc de chine); porcelain

Dimensions

47.1 × 15 × 13.1 cm (18 9/16 × 5 15/16 × 5 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1924.358

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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