A CARVED AND LACQUERED HARDWOOD FIGURE OF GUANYIN, QING DYNASTY China, 1644-1912. Finely carved seated leaning against a low table supported on a lion-head cabriole leg, holding a rolled-up scroll in one hand. Wearing a long flowing robe incised with foliate decoration at the hems, a tasseled jade pendant hanging from her waist. Provenance: From the collection of John Burke da Silva, acquired at Phillips in 1981 and thence by descent within the same family. Two old collector's labels to base. A handwritten note by the collector, describing the present lot, its purchase from Phillips, and noting some similar pieces, accompanies this lot. John Burke da Silva CMG (1918-2003) joined the Foreign Office after the war. The job took him to many parts of the world. His love of Chinese porcelain stemmed from a posting to the Embassy in Rome in 1954, where he happened to stay in a rented flat that housed a large collection of Chinese and Japanese works of art. He studied the subject learning from books and visiting museums, eventually joining the Oriental Ceramics Society in 1960, and serving on their Council and as Honorary Treasurer until 1994. Condition: Good condition with old wear, natural age cracks and associated small losses, few minuscule chips. Weight: 1,363 g (excl. base) and 2,025 g (incl. base) Dimensions: Height 22 cm (excl. base) and 25 cm (incl. base) Her serene face with heavy-lidded downcast eyes and slender lips, flanked by long pendulous earlobes, her hair falling over her shoulder in knotted tresses. With an old fitted hardwood base dating to the late Qing dynasty. (2) Auction result comparison: Compare a related wood carving of Guanyin at Christie's, 2 October 2013, lot 273, sold for USD 7,500, and another of smaller size (14 cm high) at Christie's Hong Kong in Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 30 May 2012, lot 4282, sold for HKD 162,500. 清代硬木雕書卷觀音像 中國，1644-1912年。觀音以休閑姿靠在獅首腿小几子上，一手拿著書卷。觀音身著飄逸的長袍，腰間掛著流蘇玉墜。 來源：John Burke da Silva收藏，1981年購於 Phillips，自此保存在同一家族至今。 底部有兩個藏家舊標籤。隨附一個是藏家手寫的注釋説明購於Phillips以及一些相似造像。John Burke da Silva CMG (1918-2003) 戰後加入外交部，從而可以環遊世界。 他對中國瓷器的熱愛源於 1954 年在羅馬大使館任職時期，當時他碰巧住在一間租來的公寓裡，樓裡面收藏了大量中國和日本的藝術品。他通過書本學習並參觀博物館，最終於 1960 年加入東方陶瓷學會，在其理事會任職並擔任名譽司庫直至 1994 年。 品相：狀況良好，舊時磨損，自然老化裂紋和相關的小缺損，有少量微小的開片。 重量：1,363 克 (不含底座) ，2,025 克 (含底座) 尺寸：高22 厘米 (不含底座) and 25 厘米 (含底座) 拍賣結果比較：一件木雕觀音﹐見佳士得2013年10月 2日 lot 273, 售價USD 7,500。另一件尺寸稍小 (高14 厘米) 見香港佳士得 Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art﹐2012年5月30日, lot 4282, 售價HKD 162,500。