Chinese White Jade Statuette of Guanyin, Qianlong Period

China, Qianlong (1735-1796). Seated figure in hieratic posture wearing meticulously folded robes and hood. In one hand she holds a pearl, from the other hangs her rosary. In grayish white jade of uniform tone with high polish. On a carved wood stand. Weight: 1961.9 grams.

Note: Buddhism thrived during the Qing dynasty, supported by the devotion of emperors such as Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and their successors. This widespread popularity led to the extensive production of Buddhist statues, ritual objects, vessels, and other implements, made from a variety of materials. Although jade was one of these materials, large jade figures of Buddhist deities seem to be quite rare.
Perhaps the most popular and well-known Buddhist deity in China, Avalokiteshvara, in China Guanyin, is the bodhisattva of Mercy and Compassion. Guanyin is described by the Historical Buddha in the Lotus Sutra (Miao Fa Lianhua Jing) as the deity that compassionately provides release and deliverance from suffering to those that recite her name. Here, Guanyin is depicted as a graceful feminine figure, an iconography that first became popular in the Ming period (1368-1644).