the well modelled torso naturalistically hinting at a rounded belly and shapely hips, adorned in a tunic secured with a knotted belt around the waist and opening to a colourful skirt-like garment decorated in traces of red paint and gilt pigments, legs visible beneath the garment suggest the dynamic movement of the figure, unglazed except for traces of white glaze on the neck and the ends of the scarf

There are chips to the extremities, especially to the scarf and belt, in addition to some original kiln grits and firing lines to the biscuit body. The fragment is structurally sturdy without any loose part.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This torso probably belonged to a figure of Guanyin. As the Chinese Goddess of Compassion and Mercy, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Guanyin, has been one of the most revered Buddhist deities in China and has been frequently depicted in sculptural form, including in ceramics. The Jingdezhen kilns in Jiangxi province made a considerable number of figures of Guanyin during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1276-1368) dynasties, which have turned up in important archaeological finds, can be found in famous museum collections, and occasionally appear at auction. However this figure is unusual amongst these Guanyin figures in that it is standing rather than seated, and for most part biscuit fired instead of being covered with a qingbai (‘bluish-white’) glaze. It is also very special and valuable because of the traces of gilding and red paint decorating the skirt-like garment, which is rarely seen even on fully preserved ceramic figures. A rare example of a bodhisattva, standing and biscuit fired, with only the high pierced tiara and lotus pedestal applied with a qingbai glaze, was sold in our London rooms, 11th November 2015, lot 73.

A seated Guanyin figure is illustrated in Adrian Joseph, Chinese and Annamese Ceramics Found in the Philippines and Indonesia, London, 1973, col. pl. 24. Compare also a large qingbai-glazed seated Guanyin sold in these rooms, 24th November 1987, lot 16, and again in our London rooms, 9th November 2005, lot 247, illustrated in Sotheby's Hong Kong – Twenty Years. 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 15, and again in Sotheby's. Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 114. Two smaller qingbai-glazed seated Guanyin figures were sold in our New York rooms, 15th June 1983, lot 237, and 12th April 1984, lot 266. Compare also a qingbai Guanyin seated in a sparsely glazed shrine, sold in our London rooms, 1st/2nd April 1974, lot 176, and again in these rooms, 5th November 1996, lot 671; and a large seated Guanyin sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st June 2011, lot 3726.