Footnotes

Provenance: the Collection of Lord and Lady Cunliffe and thence by descent

唐 銅鎏金觀音立像

來源：康裏弗勛爵及夫人收藏，並由家族繼承下去

Tang Dynasty bronze Buddhist figures are often characterised by their elegant, swaying stance and flowing ribbons. Compare a related figure of Guanyin, slightly taller and dated to the Sui/early Tang Dynasty, exhibited at Mostra d'Arte Cinese, Venice, 1954, Catalogue, no.262, which was sold in these rooms, 10 November 2011, lot 505.

Compare also a related figure of a bodhisattva, dated to the Tang Dynasty and 29.7cm high, illustrated by Chen Xiejun and S.Whitfield (eds.), Shanghai Museum, London, 2007, no.64.


Provenance: The Rt. Hon. Rolf, 2nd Baron Cunliffe of Headley (1899-1963) was one of the most renowned of the 'second generation' of English collectors and a prominent member of the Oriental Ceramic Society from 1946. He purchased mostly from leading houses such as Bluett's (over 400 pieces) and Sparks, with an eye mainly for simple, less decorated pieces, which he and his many distinguished visitors to his flat in Carlos Place and later at Alscot Lodge admired with both knowledge and a great sense of fun.

Despite a sale at Sotheby's in 1952 of nearly 300 pieces, in 1964 the collection included some 600 pieces, according to a brief valuation prepared by Bluett's, a year after Lord Cunliffe's death. The majority of the collection was then sold in selling exhibitions held by Bluett's in 1971 and 1973, and an informal sale in 1979, followed by minor sales in the 1980s and the final 'core' of the collection was sold in these rooms, 11 November 2002.

Lord Cunliffe was known to have encouraged his second wife, Lady Cunliffe, to collect also; while he sometimes purchased on her behalf, she too became a familiar customer at Bluett's. It is possible that this lot and the next two lots were purchased either by Lady Cunliffe herself, or by Lord Cunliffe as a gift to her; they then passed by descent to the present owner.