A RARE PAIR OF CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL FIGURES DEPICTING GUANYIN, QING DYNASTYPublished: Michael B. Weisbrod, Inc., Brochure, New York, 1992, p. 50-53, no. 14.China, late 18th - 19th century. Modeled standing on a rockwork base, wearing hooded cloaks over long dresses decorated with cranes amid swirling clouds, open at the chest to reveal beaded pendants. The hands, feet, and chest in gilt, the dresses embellished with pomegranates, Buddha’s hand citrons, and peaches. The faces with downcast eyes below gently arched eyebrows and finely enameled hair. (2)Provenance: A private collection in New England, USA. Michael B. Weisbrod, acquired from the above. Michael B. Weisbrod is a noted scholar of Chinese art, who has published extensively on the subject over a time span of more than 50 years. In 1972, Michael joined his father Dr. Gerald Weisbrod’s Asian art gallery in Toronto, Canada. The father-and-son team opened their New York location on Madison Avenue in 1977, and during the next 45 years, the gallery held a significant number of exhibitions, selling to museums and private collectors across the globe, eventually adding further locations in Shanghai and Hong Kong.Condition: Very good condition with some old wear and manufacturing flaws as expected. Each figure with a pierced aperture in the left hand of which one was filled. The gilt renewed in some areas.Weight: 1,434 g and 1,460 gDimensions: Height 35.9 cm and 36.1 cmThe ladies represent the deity of mercy, Guanyin, who is typically depicted wearing long flowing gowns with a hood over her head and a necklace on her chest. She often stands on a rockwork base that is reminiscent of Pu Tao Island, where she lived as Queen of the Southern Seas.Figural representations in cloisonné enamel appear to be extremely rare and only a few related examples have been published. According to Sir Harry Garner in Chinese and Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, page 93, the earliest human figures made of cloisonné date back to the seventeenth century.Literatureparison:A pair of seated female figures, from the A.W. Bahr Collection, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number –c and , b, dated to the Qianlong period or later, are illustrated by B. Quette, Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming and Qing, Singapore, 2011, p. 297, no. 142.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1632Price: USD 43,750 or approx.EUR 54,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A rare pair of cloisonné enamel figures of female immortals, late 18th/19th centuryExpert remark:pare the related subject, facial features, rockwork bases, and sizes (38.6 cm)13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer’s – only for buyers within the EU.清代一對罕見銅胎掐絲琺瑯觀音立像中國，十八世紀末至十九世紀。觀音站在山水紋底座上，身穿連帽斗篷，長裙上飾有