Q & A

B.F. of Winnipeg, Manitoba writes:

I recently acquired this lotus lady lamp at an estate sale. I believe it is porcelain. She is over 24" tall including the lotus shade. Do you think she is a treasure? Thanks for any info.

We asked Bill Kime to respond:

The figure is Chinese, Dehua type, a Fujian Province porcelain kiln district which goes back as far as Song times (10th - 13th century). The production of Dehua wares peaked in the Ming Dynasty (14th - 17th century) and was among the wares that became known to Europeans as 'blanc de chine'.

Dehua porcelains are still being made, largely in figural form, and those mainly representing Guanyin, the god of mercy, protector of mothers and children. Your example is of Guanyin type in respect of pose and attributes, but is more likely a generalized image of a beauty, and was also probably one of a pair.

Today such images are usually slip moulded. Those from the early 20th century and before are common and most are hand built, using a mixture of press moulded and hand shaped parts. Values are seldom notable, usually around the $50-100 mark, though occasional examples appear with blind stamped facsimiles of maker's seals, which lead some buyers to think they are looking at a treasure and pay more accordingly.

It's possible that the shade may not be Chinese and that the adaptation of the figure as a lamp is a later enhancement, but the lotus flower motif, which is emblematic of purity, is wholly appropriate.