Guanyin is depicted here standing on a lobster amongst waves, a ruyi scepter in one hand while the other hand is hidden in a long billowing sleeve. Her hair falls in two knots on the shoulders. The detailed treatment of the lobster contrasts with the simple attire of the figure. The ivory glaze is visibly greenish where it thickens in the folds of the robe. Depictions of Guanyin in association with sea creatures such as this piece have been interpreted as Guo Hai, the Protector of Fishermen.Dehua, located on the southeast coast of Fujian province, is well known for its production of white porcelain, known to Europeans as 'blanc de Chine'. The earliest Dehua porcelain was produced as early as the 14th century but the production and quality of these porcelain peaked around the 17th and 18th centuries.
