Lot 54
CHINESE DEHUA FIGURE OF SEATED GUANYIN ‡
HE CHAOZONG MARK, MING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY
Auction: 15 May 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
明 何朝宗款 德化白釉持卷觀音坐像
seated in royal-ease pose on layered rock podium with perforations, she holds a scroll with left hand rested across right knee, long loose robe well defined with natural flows draped on the seat, a lotus pendant exposed on her chest, her neatly tied chignon decorated with ruyi-head ornament, her face casts down in serene and benevolent expression, a holy-water vase placed on top of raised rock to her left, her back impressed with a three-character 'He Chao Zong' mark within a double gourd
Dimensions
26cm high
Provenance
Private Collection, Hong Kong
香港私人收藏
Footnote
Unlike the kilns at Jingdezhen, porcelain production at Dehua was not under Imperial supervision and reign marks were rarely used. Instead, potters at Dehua sometimes impressed their own seals or workshop marks. Some of these marked pieces have come to enjoy great prestige among collectors, most notably the works of He Chaozong. His Guanyin figures are graceful and serene, often with finely detailed accessories such as the fine ruyi hairpin and elegant figures, such as the present example. Despite his renowned reputation, little is known about the potter, but modern scholarship now considers a late Ming dynasty/17th-century to be most likely for his dates of activity.
Three comparable seated Guanyin figures: one in seated posture on a reed mat and bearing an impressed three-character He Chaozong mark within a double gourd, dated to early 17th century, was sold at Christie's New York, 22 Mar 2024, lot 956; one in similar posture and seated on high rock podium, with a four-character He Chaozong mark in square, dated to 17th/18th century, was sold at Sotheby's New York, 21 September 2022, lot 413; and another one of almost identical design but impressed with a three-character 'He Chao Zong' mark in a square, was sold at this saleroom, 5 November 2020, lot 132.
與景德鎮的窯廠不同，德化的瓷器生產並不受朝廷監管，也很少使用年款。相反，德化的陶工有時會印上自己的印章或作坊標記。部分帶有這些標記的作品在收藏家中享有極高聲譽，其中以何朝宗的作品最為著名。他所製造的觀音像姿態優雅、神情安詳，並常配有精緻的飾物，如細膩的如意髮簪與雅緻的人物造型，本件作品即為一例。儘管何朝宗聲名顯赫，後世對這位陶工的生平所知甚少，現代學術研究普遍認為他最活躍的年代應為明末／十七世紀。
三件可比較之觀音坐像：一件為坐於蘆蓆上，並有葫蘆形三字「何朝宗」印款，斷代為十七世紀早期，售於2024年3月22日紐約佳士得，拍品956；一件相似坐於高聳的岩石台座上，帶有方形四字「何朝宗印」款，斷代為十七／十八世紀，售於2022年9月21日紐約蘇富比，拍品413；另一件幾乎相同但帶有方形四字「何朝宗印」款，2020年11月5日於本拍場售出，拍品132。
This lot has been imported from outside of the UK and placed under Temporary Admission. An amount in lieu of Import VAT will be charged at 5% on the hammer price.
此拍品是從英國以外地區進口，憑藉暫准進口許可證（暫准進口）在拍賣會上出售，該許可證允許這些物品暫時全部或部分免征關稅（增值稅和關稅），代替進口增值稅的金額將按落槌價的5%收取，請参閱業務規定之增值稅符號和說明部分以獲取更多資訊。