This Kwan Yin or Guan Yin is about 19" high. The place of origin and the age are open, so I am selling it as a decorative item. The bottom is closed, and the statue weighs 7.5 pounds.

Kuan Yin (also spelled Guan Yin, Kwan Yin) is the bodhisattva of compassion venerated by East Asian Buddhists. Commonly known as the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin is also revered by Chinese Taoists as an Immortal. The name Kuan Yin is short for Kuan Shih Yin (Guan Shi Yin) which means "Observing the Sounds of the World".

I acquired this figurine from someone who had it in storage for 30-40 years. Her mother bought it many years ago from a dealer who sold Asian antiques in New York and has long since closed. The dealer told the mother that the figure dates to the early 19th century, and the receipt, which is not in my possession, states that it is porcelain. Nevertheless, I received an opinion from a major auction house in New York City that the figure dates to about the 1950's, possibly from China or Southeast Asia. In the end this is a decorative vintage piece.

The glaze is a thin white matte or bisque finish. The body under the glaze is beige in color. The detail on the front is excellent, and the robes, jewelry, hands and toes are all precisely sculpted. She is holding a scroll in her hands. She is in very good vintage condition. There are no chips or major cracks. The red marks on the base seem to be glaze, paint or some other substance on top of the white glaze. There are remnants of red on the bottom and in the creases of the clothing, not visible in the pictures and hard to see with the naked eye. There is what appears to be a firing crack on the base, near the foot, as well as one or two other firing cracks, hidden in the folds of the robes, nothing major.

Asian Antiques
Asian Porcelain & Pottery