White-Glazed Dehua Ware Seated Avalokitesvara - View 2

The figure of Avalokitesvara (in feminine form) lowers her head and eyes. She has a long, round face and smooth skin. Her expression is amiable as she watches over all livings on earth. Her hair is high on her head with a ruyi-scepter ornament at the center. She is veiled, while jewels—also shaped like ruyi-scepters—serve as decoration on her breast. Both of her hands are hidden beneath her garments. One foot is partly exposed, while the other is bent beneath her. The realistic drooping and undulating drapery of her garments subdues her overall disposition.
The entire figure is covered with a white glaze. Hollow in the middle, the figure features a double-gourd shaped seal on the back that is engraved with three seal-script characters in intaglio, reading "He Chaozong", the name of the craftsman. The artisans of the Dehua Kiln in the Ming dynasty pursued a kind of jade-like luster in the glazes they produced and developed a distinguished style of their own. This figure was fashioned by the ceramic master He Chaozong at that kiln. The piece demonstrates the highest level of art from that site and is a masterpiece of Master He’s extant works.

detail of item (craftsman's mark)