
A LONDON-DECORATED DEHUA FIGURE OF CUNDI BODHISATTVA WITH ACOLYTES Kangxi Modelled as a deity with a serene expression beneath an ornate headdress, the multiple arms radiating behind, each hand holding a ritual attribute, seated in vajraparyanka on a lotus throne, supported on a separate pedestal encircled by a dragon and rising from a wave base with fish emerging from the waters, four acolytes standing on the base in attendance. 24.3cm (9 1/2in) high. (2). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 清康熙 德化窯白釉準提菩薩及童子像(倫敦后加彩) Provenance: Dr Bernard Watney (1922-1998), London Christie's South Kensington, 18th July 2012, lot 619 Helen Espir (b.1933), UK Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, on 12 December 2015 (collector's notes) Published and Illustrated: M.White, People at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol.5, n.p, 2024, p.94 來源: Bernard Watney博士(1922-1998),倫敦 佳士得南肯辛頓,2012年7月18日,拍品編號619 Helen Espir (b.1933),英國 獲得于倫敦古董商R & G McPherson Antiques,2015年12月12日(藏家筆記) 著錄: M.White,《People at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection》,第5冊,無出版地,2024年,第94頁 Helen Espir (b.1933) is a collector of Chinese ceramics and a long-standing member of the Oriental Ceramic Society. She served as Assistant Honorary Secretary of the Society from 1984 to 1990. In 1988, she was responsible for starting The Chinese Scholar's Fund, aimed at providing Chinese scholars with opportunities to visit and study in the West. She authored European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain, 1700-1830, the first book examining European decorators on Chinese porcelain throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. See R.Davids & D.Jellinek, Provenance: Collectors, Dealers and Scholars: Chinese Ceramics in Britain and America, Oxford, 2011, p.166. The figure depicted in the present lot represents Cundi Bodhisattva (準提菩薩), a manifestation of the Avalokiteśvara, associated with compassion, protection, and the granting of blessings. Originating in India, Cundi was introduced into China in the 8th century. She is typically depicted with eighteen arms, each bearing ritual implements symbolising her manifold powers and salvific activities. In East Asian Buddhist practice, devotion to Cundi is believed to confer spiritual merit, remove obstacles, and ensure worldly and transcendental benefits. The Kakiemon-style decoration on the present lot is reminiscent of Chelsea porcelain of the Raised-Anchor period, suggesting the enamel decoration was applied around 1750. A number of figures are known with decoration of this type, including a related London-decorated Dehua figure of Guanyin, 1680-1720 (made), 1745-1750 (decorated), in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (acc.no.C.58-2004). For discussion on wares of this type, see E.Manners, 'The English Decoration of Oriental Porcelain: Some Overlooked Groups 1700-1750,' English Ceramic Circle Transactions, vol.I9, part 1, pp.21-22. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing
































