Rare Guanyin figure to be featured at Christie's new auction

NEW YORK, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A gilt-bronze figure depicting a multi-armed Guanyin, a bodhisattva associated with compassion, is expected to sell for between 4 million U.S. dollars and 6 million dollars at Christie's in New York city.

The standing figure is 38 centimeters tall. It dates back to 11th-12th century during the Kingdom of Dali, which was situated in modern Yunnan province of China.

With three eyes and four arms, the Guanyin is seated with legs pendent, the primary hands held in Anjali Mudra, and the other pair resting on the knees.

The bodhisattva wears an elaborate, openwork crown, beaded necklaces and other jewelry, and a dhoti tied with a sash below the waist, with two large pierced rectangular tenons projecting either side of the un-gilded upper back.

The figure is a centerpiece of the "Lacquer, Jade, Bronze, Ink: The Irving Collection" to be auctioned at the evening sale on March 20. The collection features more than 400 treasured objects and paintings, including gilt bronzes, jades, lacquers, ceramics and paintings from across Asia, as well as European decorative arts.

Also worth noticing in the collection are an imperially inscribed greenish-white jade "twin fish" washer and a painting by Chinese painter Fu Baoshi.

The washer is finely carved with straight, flaring sides encircled by three bow-string bands. The interior is carved in high relief with a pair of fish, and the base is raised on five rectangular feet surrounding an incised imperial poem. It dates back to the Qianlong period (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty. It is estimated to be auctioned between 1 million dollars to 1.5 million dollars.

The painting is titled "Lithe like a crane, Leisurely like a seagull" with an estimate of 800,000 dollars to 1.2 million dollars.

The collection is one of the nine auctions to be held by Christie's from March 14 to March 26.