How old is this seated buddha.

In the back it writes large Ming Xuande Emperor
宣德帝
(16 March 1399 –
31 January 1435)


THE WOOD IS OLD BUT I DONT THINK ITS THAT OLD



https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/170929864_1819th-century-carved-kwan-quan-yin-figure

 

and they didn't show that underside/base which could have been a big clue.

 

They say 18th-19th, which may or may not be true.
Unfortunately it looks too much like the "antique" fakes China has been churning out over the past few decades.

Photos of the back would have been nice too.
If I want to see item details they want me to sign up. Same if I click to enlarge. That would be one reason for me not to bid.

Kaiser, if you like it (it is beautiful), bid up to the amount you would pay for a brand new one.

 

Thank you @2manybooks , very enlightening. Not just because of the subject, but I see much more detail now. The back, with that beautiful detail in the decoration of the robe, is a revelation.

I am inclined to say it is a genuine antique, but as Laura implied, the base is important when judging age.

 

The auction ended yesterday. It sold for $325.

 

I guess bidders thought it was recent, or just didn't want to risk it. Especially with no photos of the base and China's bad reputation when it comes to fakes. But a good price, even for a recent carving.

 

Yeah me. I definitely think it’s at least 1890 old, but Ming marking date it to 1400s? I will take a better photo of the base when I pick it up. The base is rough cut wood no marking, not circular cut mark, wood is definitely old if it’s fake it’s on antique wood.

 

You did well, Kaiser, congratulations. It is beautiful, and the additional photos are promising.

 

Found a very similar one The base looks like that

https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/asia...961-a-large-chinese-gilded-wooden-buddha-qing

 

Unfortunately I tend to think that everything coming from China is going to be a reproduction.

 

Yours is much nicer though. Would love to see a photo of the base when you get it.

 

A lot of it is, that is the problem. If I buy anything Chinese nowadays, I try to check if it has been in Europe for a long time. Which means I hardly buy Chinese art anymore.

There are also Chinese state warehouses with truly antique treasures that were confiscated/stolen from temples, monasteries and private people during the Cultural Revolution. Those items are sold internationally now. Those are genuine antiques, but I'd rather not buy one because they are someone else's property imo. I know an item won't be returned to the temples and people if I don't buy it, but I don't want to facilitate state looting.
Kaiser is Chinese, so if this is one of those stolen items, at least it will be with someone from the same culture. I'm not saying it is though, it could have been in the West for a long time.

 

My extended families used to own more than 1/3 of land in shanghai before the CCP help themselves with the city ‍-.- . grandpas house became a state park, his cousins house became a museum. -.-

 

I am sorry to hear that, Kaiser. Cruel times, then and now.
I hope the Chinese art you buy now feels as a small compensation. This Buddha is beautiful, and a bargain.