Japan, dated 1708

Well carved seated in royal ease on a draped lotus throne, the right hand raised in Shiyui-so supporting the tilted head, the left hand resting on the left thigh, wearing loose-fitting robes opening at the chest, the face with a contemplative expression, the hair arranged in a high chignon, backed by a tall mandorla.

The left side with a carved inscription: 寶永五戊子年霜月四日 “Hoei go tsuchinoe-ne toshi shimotsuki yokka” [The 4th day of the Eleventh month (the month of frost), in the Hoei 5th year (1708), in the year of tsuchinoe-ne]. The opposite side opposite with a female devotee's holy name 'Rishō Myotei Shinnyo 理照妙諦信女 “, center of the base further with 'Nakazawa Shi 中沢氏'

HEIGHT 93 cm

Condition: Good condition, commensurate with over 300 years of age. Extensive wear, minor losses, signs of weathering and erosion, few structural cracks.
Provenance: From the collection of Sir Ernest Ridley Debenham, thence by descent in the same family. A letter from John G. Ayers of the Victoria & Albert Museum, addressed to “Miss M C Debenham” (Ernest Debenham’s daughter Margaret), dated 14 August 1970, detailing his opinion of the present lot and translation of the inscriptions, with letterhead of the Victoria & Albert Museum, accompanies this lot. Sir Ernest Ridley Debenham, 1st Baronet (1865-1952), was an English businessman who owned the famous department store chain Debenhams. He was responsible for the considerable expansion of the family's retail and wholesale drapery firm between 1892 and 1927. He was also a pioneer in the dairy industry. John G. Ayers formed the Far Eastern Department at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1970 and served as President of the Oriental Ceramics Society between 1984 and 1986. He authored countless books on Chinese and Japanese works of art, including the famous Baur Collection, and was widely recognized as one of the world's leading specialists in the field.

This stele depicts Nyoirin Kannon (Skt: Cintamani Chakra Avalokiteshvara), a form of the bodhisattva Kannon whom Buddhists believe 'listens to the voices of the world' and to whom they look for the granting of wishes. Nyoirin Kannon is usually depicted with six hands holding various attributes, but in this rare stele is carved with two hands.

The surname of the devotee was Nakazawa 中沢, whose holy Buddhist name was Risho Myotei shinnyo, which literally means “A Buddhist female lay believer Risho Myotei”. Risho Myotei 理照妙諦 literally means “Logic, Enlighten, Wondrous, Truth”.

Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related memorial stone depicting a two-armed Nyoirin Kannon, dated 1671 by inscription, in the Horniman Museum & Gardens, museum number nn19126. Compare a related stone stele of a six-armed Nyoirin Kannon, dated 1680 by inscription, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number A.125-1920.