gifts from heaven
A continuation of Royal Selangor’s Celestial Blessings collection, Chinese sculptor Master Xu Xiao Yong strikes a more contemplative tone in his new interpretations of Chinese mythology’s two iconic deities.
The first series had Guan Gong, the god of military valour and righteousness, strike a combative pose. This time, Xu has Guan Gong sheath his guandao blade – the Green Dragon Crescent Blade – reading the Spring and Autumn Annals in a scholarly pose (RM2,800). This is a reference to an incident during the ancient Three Kingdoms period, where Guan Gong was housed in a room with the wives of his friend Liu Bei by the scheming warlord Cao Cao; rather than succumb to temptation, he chose to leave the room and spend the entire night reading.
Master Xu’s first depiction of the Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, was surprisingly casual and sensual, but he has returned her to her tradition meditative pose. Draped in a flowing robe and radiating calm, pewter here is used to its varied potential – from the silken folds of her robes to the craggy edges of the rock she sits upon (RM3,680). As deities, Guan Gong and Guan Yin are opposites to some extent. But here, Master Xu Xiao Yong has united them together in a virtue of serenity.
