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BRONZE FIGURE OF GUANYIN INLAID WITH SILVER, SIGNED SHIH-SOU
16th/17th century
Height: 22cm | 8 21⁄32 in
Click image for full size version
Shih-sou figures are known for the fluidity of their modelling and very fine casting – resulting in a bronze of great refinement and beauty. Parallels can be drawn with the modelling of blanc de chine figures produced at Te-hua around the same period. The distinctive look to the metal comes from its composition – being an alloy of copper (tin, zinc and lead) and characteristic of bronze produced in the Jiangnan region of China during the second half of the Ming Dynasty.
Seated in lila asana – signifying ease – the Bodhisattva’s right knee points upwards supporting the relaxed right hand, whilst the other leg rests upon the ground. The left foot is tucked behind, out of sight, and the left hand is crossed over to the right, clutching a scroll – this posture enhancing the dynamic contraposition. Guanyin smiles benignly with downcast eyes; the ear lobes are elongated, and the hair combed up into a topknot that is held in place by a pin; the exposed forehead is inlaid, at the centre, with a silver urna.
The Bodhisattva is dressed in a long flowing robe that collects and spreads at the base, his shoulders covered by a shawl, and chest partly exposed – as are both hands and the right foot. The border of the robe is finely inlaid with silver wire in an abstract floral design, and the shawl is inlaid with clusters of clouds. At the centre of the figure’s back is an inlaid silver two-character Shih-sou mark.
It is not known if the Shih-sou signature can be attributed to one craftsman, his family, a workshop – or is, alternatively, the trademark of an entrepreneur who co-ordinated a group of workers.
Similar example: Emperor, Scholar, Artisan, Monk, The Creative Personality in Chinese Works of Art, Sydney L. Moss Ltd. 1984 – no. 132.
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