A GILT-LACQUERED BRONZE FIGURE OF SONGZI GUANYIN, MING DYNASTYChina, 1368-1644. Finely cast seated in dhayanasana above a separately cast and reticulated lotus base, the hands gently holding a male child with his hands folded in anjali mudra, dressed in flowing robes with floral hems, open at the chest to reveal an elaborate pendant, the face with a serene expression and downcast eyes, the hair tied behind a crown centered by the figure of Amitabha Buddha and covered by a cowl.Provenance: Dutch trade.Condition: Good condition with some wear, small nicks, little dents, few losses, small cracks, flaking to the lacquer, and casting flaws.Weight: 2,128 gDimensions: Height 30.9 cmThe Songzi representation of Guanyin, or the ‘Bringer of Sons,’ is identifiable by the boy seated on her knee. Male children were extremely important to the Confucian family structure. They ensured not only the continuity of family and clan but that there would be uninterrupted generations to carry on the rituals of ancestral wor. The child-giving Guanyin was prayed to by worers for healthy children and intelligent male heirs.Literatureparison:A related gilt-bronze figure of Songzi Guanyin seated on a lotus base, 42.3 cm high, is illustrated by H. Munsterberg, Chinese Buddhist Bronzes, Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, 1967, no. 73.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1787Price: USD 32,500 or approx.EUR 38,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A gilt-lacquered bronze figure of Songzi Guanyin, 17th centuryExpert remark:pare the related pose, facial expression, and decoration. Note the size (25.7 cm) and the fact that this statue is fire-gilt whereas the present lot is lacquer-gilt.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Los Angeles, 17 December 2019, lot 72Price: USD 8,200 or approx.EUR 8,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A gilt copper alloy seated figure of the Songzi Guanyin, 17th/18th centuryExpert remark:pare the related pose, facial expression, and decoration. Note the much smaller size (14.3 cm).明代鎏金漆送子觀音坐蓮像中國，1368-1644年。觀音菩薩結跏趺坐坐於仰蓮台座上；觀音束高髻，天冠中有化佛，披頭巾；兩肩方圓，胸口平實，手部肌理豐滿圓潤，姿態纖巧生動；衣紋對稱，衣領與袖袍邊緣鏨刻紋飾，是典型的明代裝飾樣式。底座與造像分鑄而成。觀音懷中的童子頭形渾圓，面帶微笑，身穿肚兜，軀體圓潤，四肢長細，雙掌合十，雙腳交叉，神情愉悅地坐臥在菩薩的手掌之間。