This is one of the largest figures of Guanyin in the collection. She sits in ‘royal ease’ high up on a dramatically carved rock, her robes cascading over the edges with a meiping vase (the form of the vase is inspired by the female body) on an adjacent rocky outcrop. The presence of a lively baby on her lap holding a lotus bud signifies Guanyin's fertility-bestowing powers. She was worshipped in this form as Songzi or 'Giver of Children'. The crisply moulded forms and finely incised facial features distinguish this as a high quality piece, while the even greenish-toned glaze suggests an early date. Figures of the Madonna and child were carved in ivory in Fujian province during the late Ming (1368-1644) for trade with the Spanish. It is thought that these influenced the demand for ivory figures of Guanyin with a child, which in turn influenced the style of porcelain figures at Dehua.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.
