China, 1644-1912 or slightly earlier. Boldly carved seated with both hands resting on her raised left knee, holding in her right hand a ruyi scepter, wearing a long flowing robe cascading in voluminous robes and a necklace with a butterfly pendant. The serene face with heavy-lidded eyes below arched eyebrows and full lips forming a subtle smile, the hair arranged in a high chignon beneath the cowl.

Provenance: From a Czech private collection. By repute acquired in China while on a diplomatic assignment, ca. mid-20^th century, and thence by descent within the same family.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, minuscules nibbles and losses here and there. The stone with inherent fissures, which have naturally developed into well visible but stable cracks over a very long period of time. These cracks show old wax fills, which were most likely applied before the piece was exported to the West, probably during the first half of the 20^th century, because they have meanwhile developed a distinct patina of their own.

Weight: 8.6 kg
Dimensions: Height 36.5 cm

The translucent stone of a mostly even deep celadon tone with scattered white and gray shadings and few black speckles, some veins also with russet. The jade has been worked entirely by hand, with microscopic remnants of possible lathe marks only visible to the inside of the left hand.

Expert’s note: Fissures originally develop in large jade rocks due to the disruptive nature of the lapidary’s treatment of the mineral, as is necessary to create a large sculpture from a single piece of stone. It typically takes centuries for minuscule ruptures to naturally develop into cracks as seen on the present lot. For this reason, it is likely that the present piece dates to the 18^th century or even earlier. However, due to the dating of several closely related jades found on the auction market (see Auction result comparison), this author acknowledges the faint possibility that the present lot could also date to the later Qing dynasty.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related pale celadon jade carving of Guanyin, dated to the 19^th century, but of smaller size (25.5 cm high), at Sotheby’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art on 16-17 September 2014, lot 269, sold for USD 106,250, and a related deep celadon jade figure of Guanyin, dated 19^th-20^th century, but of much smaller size (14.6 cm high), at Sotheby’s New York in The Hundred Antiques: Fine & Decorative Asian on 30 September 2020, lot 1172, sold for USD 119,700. Compare also a related celadon jade carving of Guanyin, dated to the late Qing dynasty, but of smaller size (25.4 cm high), at Christie’s London in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 11 May 2010, lot 163, sold for GBP 37,250.

清代或更早大型青玉觀音像
中國，1644-1912年或更早。觀音以青玉雕刻而成，法相端莊，左手搭在左膝上，右手執如意輕輕搭在左手上，髮髻高聳，面容豐滿圓潤，雙目微閉，嘴角微微含笑。觀音頭披風巾，身披飄逸長袍，衣紋層次分明。

來源：捷克私人收藏，據説是二十世紀中葉在中國出任外交事宜時購得，在同一家族保存至今。
品相：狀況良好，有磨損，很多小磕損。具有天然裂縫的玉料，這些裂縫有舊時蠟質填充物，很可能是20 世紀上半葉到歐洲之前就存在，因為它們都已經形成獨特的包漿。

重量：8.6 公斤
尺寸：高36.5 厘米

半透明的青玉石，分佈著白色和灰色絮狀物，有些微黑色斑點，赤褐色脈絡。 觀音像手工雕刻而成，在左手內側可見雕刻痕跡。

專家注釋：微小的裂縫通常需要幾個世紀才能自然發展成目前拍品上所見的裂縫。因此，這件拍品也許可以追溯到十八世紀或更早。不過，鑒於拍賣市場上發現的幾件相似的玉雕的年代（見拍賣結果對比），筆者承認這件拍品也有可能是晚清時期。

拍賣結果比較：一件相似青白玉雕觀音，十九世紀，但尺寸稍小 (高25.5 厘米), 見紐約蘇富比 Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art，2014年9月16-17日，lot 269, 售價USD 106,25；一件深色青玉觀音像，十九至二十世紀，但小很多 (高14.6 厘米) ，見紐約蘇富比The Hundred Antiques: Fine & Decorative Asian，2020年9月30日 lot 1172, 售價USD 119,700。第三件青玉觀音像，晚清，稍小 (高25.4 厘米), 倫敦佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art，2010年5月11日，lot 163, 售價GBP 37,250。