Pale Celadon Jade Guanyin with a Fish Basket, Mid-Qing Dynasty

Height: 47.5 cm.

Carved from a single piece of jade, this figure of Guanyin with a fish basket has a serene and dignified presence. Lowered eyes and a faint smile create an expression of gentle attentiveness. Its substantial scale gives the work a particularly commanding presence.

The face has broad nostrils, full lips and an urna on the forehead. An image of Amitabha appears on a lotus above the head. The hair is arranged in strands swept backwards, with braided sections falling over the shoulders.

Guanyin wears flowing robes and a shoulder covering, with ruyi ornament along the collar, front and sleeves. A sash descends towards the feet. Jewelled necklaces and arm ornaments accompany the bodhisattva’s attire. The left hand forms a teaching gesture, while the right holds a fish basket. Standing barefoot, the figure’s lowered gaze suggests compassionate attention to the world.

The Chinese account connects the fish-basket manifestation with stories recorded in Li Fuyan’s 續玄怪錄 and Huang Tingjian’s 觀世音贊六首. In these accounts, a young woman carrying fish or a fish basket appears at Jinshatan in the Shaanxi region and encourages people to study Buddhist scriptures. From the Ming period onwards, this manifestation became a popular subject in painting, Dehua porcelain and jade carving.

Exhibited and published:
采風玉潔－玉器精選, National Museum of History, Taipei, 2011, pl. 42.

Video introduction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wroJrW4Laic