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拍品專文
The present soapstone figure of Guanyin, depicted with a standing boy worshipping, can be identified as Songzi Guanyin, the Goddess Giver of Children. The origin of Songzi Guanyin can be traced in the Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, where it is mentioned that "if a fertile woman, wishing for a son, prays to Guanyin every week, her son will be blessed with fortune and intelligence; if she is wishing for a daughter, her daughter will be blessed with grace and beauty." According to Terese Bartholomew in Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, p. 58, Chinese couples are expected to produce sons soon after their marriage who will perpetuate the family name and continue to worship the ancestors, praying to various gods and goddesses known to bless barren couples with children, such as Guanyin. The soapstone material used for this exquisite figure is baifurong, a variety of furong stone that ranges in color from white to pale creamy beige, found at the Jialiang mountains, located about eight kilometers outside of Shoushan village in Fujian province. The large size of the current figure and the naturalistic details of the carving distinguish it as among the finest soapstone carvings of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The distinguished provenance of this figure is noteworthy. It was once part of the collection of the Rt Hon. Baroness Dunn, an acclaimed businesswoman and politician. In 1981, she became the first woman to sit on the board of directors of HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation); from 1992 to 2008, she served as the bank’s Deputy Chairman. In 1989, she was appointed DBE (Dame Commander) and later became the first Chinese woman to be elevated to the British peerage in Queen Elizabeth II’s 1990 Birthday Honours. She was introduced to the House of Lords as Baroness Dunn, of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong and of Knightsbridge in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on 24 August 1990. Baroness Dunn was also awarded the Prime Minister of Japan's Trade Award in 1987 and the United States' Secretary of Commerce award in 1988.
The distinguished provenance of this figure is noteworthy. It was once part of the collection of the Rt Hon. Baroness Dunn, an acclaimed businesswoman and politician. In 1981, she became the first woman to sit on the board of directors of HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation); from 1992 to 2008, she served as the bank’s Deputy Chairman. In 1989, she was appointed DBE (Dame Commander) and later became the first Chinese woman to be elevated to the British peerage in Queen Elizabeth II’s 1990 Birthday Honours. She was introduced to the House of Lords as Baroness Dunn, of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong and of Knightsbridge in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on 24 August 1990. Baroness Dunn was also awarded the Prime Minister of Japan's Trade Award in 1987 and the United States' Secretary of Commerce award in 1988.