Old Hand Carved Guanyin Camphor Wood

Description

An old temple Guanyin bodhisattva sitting atop lotus base. Beautiful and detailed hand carved, hand painted and gilt on camphor wood. A piece retreated from a Buddhist temple in Taiwan. In good condition and one of a kind.

The most used Chinese translation of the bodhisattva known as Avalokiteśvara. Chinese Goddess of Mercy. Guanyin Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means “The One Who Perceives the Sounds of the World”. Originally regarded as male in Indian Buddhism, Guanyin has been more commonly depicted as female in most of East Asia since about the 12th century. Due to sociogeographical factors, Guanyin can also be historically depicted as genderless or adorning an androgynous apprentice.

Camphor wood has a long history involving sculpture carving in Taiwan.
Due to the natural pest-resistant properties of camphor wood made it desirable for creating utensils and figures. Camphor trees have a long history and cultural significance in Taiwan. Nowadays, Taiwanese government has implemented stricter laws and a DNA database for protected tree species to deter illegal logging, which has its impacted the wood carving industry.

Noted: In 1976, this exploitation ceased, as the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) was enacted to counter damage to national ecosystems on forest lands. Since then, Taiwan’s efforts have focused on both preserving and harvesting/reforesting biological diversity. In 2021, the Taiwanese government established a DNA database for Taiwan cypress and cedar trees to help protect the nation’s forests and to prevent illegal poaching after a four-year collaboration between the MJIB (Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau) and the Forestry Bureau and Academia Sinica’s Biodiversity Research Center. Since 2017, they have been collecting over 600 tree samples which are classified as protected species under the Forestry Act. Almost like a fingerprint, the DNA database keeps track of these trees and gives them an identification card.
https://hir.harvard.edu/theft-in-our-forests-examining-taiwans-silent-war/

Dimensions: 5″ x 6″ x 12″

Old piece. Sell in used, pre-owned condition. Vintage to antique items by nature have variable amounts of wear, imperfections, signs of use, age and time. Perfectly imperfect. Condition shown as in pictures. Kindly contact us if you need more info. or detail pictures.