A LIMESTONE BUDDHIST TRIAD STELE OF GUANYIN AND ATTENDANTS China, 10th-14th century. The stele of ogee arch form, finely carved in high relief with Guanyin seated in lalitasana, one hand holding a lotus flower and the other resting on her left knee. She is wearing long flowing robes cascading in voluminous folds and billowing scarves around her body. The serene face with heavy-lidded eyes and full lips, the hair arranged in an elaborate high chignon, backed by a flame-incised aureole. The black limestone with russet, buff, and pink shadings. Provenance: Phillips Auctioneers, London, United Kingdom, October 2nd, 1991. John Burke da Silva, acquired from the above and thence by descent within the same family. A copy of a typed and handwritten note by the collector, describing the present lot (and the central figure erroneously as Manjushri), its purchase from Phillips, and noting an expert opinion of Mary Tregear among others (see Expert's note), accompanies this lot. John Burke da Silva CMG (1918-2003) joined the Foreign Office after the war. The job took him to many parts of the world. His love of Chinese porcelain stemmed from a posting to the Embassy in Rome in 1954, where he happened to stay in a rented flat that housed a large collection of Chinese and Japanese works of art. He studied the subject learning from books and visiting museums, eventually joining the Oriental Ceramics Society in 1960, and serving on their Council and as Honorary Treasurer until 1994. Condition: Several breaks and reattached sections with significant associated losses and remnants of adhesive. Some old fills, including the lotus stem below the right acolyte, the proper right arm of the right acolyte, and some section of the main halo. Structural cracks, significant weathering and erosion. Still presenting well and condition commensurate with age. Weight: 25.6 kg Dimensions: Height 60 cm Guanyin is accompanied by two attendants, each standing on a lotus base with hands clasped together, also backed by aureoles, the top with a pavilion and two chilong suspending a beaded lotus pendant from their mouths, flanked by two apsaras. The rectangular base is finely carved with floral sprays to each side save for the reverse. Expert's note: According to a typed and handwritten note by John Burke da Silva, the present lot was personally examined by Mary Tregear, who found that the stele was perhaps a 14th-century “later copy of an originally 10th-century piece”. Note that da Silva's collector's note also references some conversations he had with other experts who had differing opinions but never inspected the piece in situ. Mary Tregear (1924-2010) was a British museum curator and art historian specializing in Chinese art. She was born in Wuchang, China. After studying in England, she worked as a lecturer and curator at Hong Kong University's Fung Ping Shan Museum. In 1961 she joined the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, where she was Assistant Keeper for the Chinese collection, and then Keeper of Eastern Art between 1987 and 1991. She was a fellow of St Cross College, Oxford, a fellow of the British Academy, and President of the Oriental Ceramic Society from 1978 to 1980. She also wrote and edited numerous books on Chinese art. 觀音及其脅侍石灰石碑 中國，十至十四世紀。拱形碑，雕工精細，高浮雕，觀音端坐，一手捧蓮花，一手置於左膝。 觀音身穿飄逸天衣，衣紋層層疊疊，衣帶飄揚。面容平靜，雙眼微閉，嘴唇豐滿，高髻，火焰形光背。帶有赤褐色、淺黃色脈理的黑色石灰石。 來源：英國倫敦Phillips 拍賣行，1991年10月2日。John Burke da Silva收藏，1991年購於 Phillips，自此保存在同一家族至今。 隨附一個是藏家打印並手寫的注釋説明購於Phillips，此拍品為文殊菩薩，以及一些專家特別是Mary Tregear的見解。John Burke da Silva CMG (1918-2003) 戰後加入外交部，從而可以環游世界。 他對中國瓷器的熱愛源於 1954 年在羅馬大使館任職時期，當時他碰巧住在一間租來的公寓裡，樓裡面收藏了大量中國和日本的藝術品。他通過書本學習並參觀博物館，最終於 1960 年加入東方陶瓷學會，在其理事會任職並擔任名譽司庫直至 1994 年。 品相：有幾個斷裂和重新連接的部分，明顯的缺損和粘合劑殘留物。舊時填充物，包括右侍者下方的蓮花莖，右侍者的右臂，以及光背局部。 結構裂縫，顯著風化和侵蝕。 仍然呈現出與年齡相稱的良好狀態。 重量：25.6 公斤 尺寸：高 60 厘米 專家注釋：根據John Burke da Silva 的筆記，Mary Tregear 親自檢查了這件拍品，她發現這塊石碑可能是 十四世紀是“仿造十世紀作品的復製品”。請注意，Silva的收藏筆記還引用了他與其他有不同意見但從未見過石碑原件的專家的一些對話。Mary Tregear (1924-2010) 是大不列顛博物館策展人和藝術史學家，專門研究中國藝術。她出生於中國武昌。在英國留學後，她在香港大學美術館擔任講師和策展人。1961 年，她加入牛津Ashmolean Museum博物館，擔任中國收藏部助理保管員；1987 年至 1991 年期間擔任東方藝術收藏保管員。她還是牛津St Cross College 學院和英國國家學術學院院士，1978年至1980年擔任東方陶瓷學會會長。她還撰寫和編輯了許多關於中國藝術的書籍。