Wooden statue of Guanyin

Provenance and dating

The text in the statue refers to Hunan, Changsha, Ningxiang, and that the statue was ‘honoured’ in the year 1939.

Text

湖南省長沙府寧鄉縣九都十三區窯土廟王柿樹下土地求吉信人喻力孝室人何氏求保家下人民清吉奉敬

觀音大慈悲聖像一尊叨蒙有感民心不昧

民國二十八年十一月吉日敬大像吉

“九都十三区” refers to a 13th district of a 9th capital which existed before the various changes in Hunan’s administrative divisions in the late 1930s.

“民国二十八年十一月吉日敬大像吉” =
November, 28th year of the Republic of China, auspicious day.
The year is 1911 + 28 = 1939.

Translation of the rest of the text, via deepl.com

In respect of the auspiciousness of the land under the Wang Persimmon tree at the kiln in the 13th district of the 9th capital, Ningxiang County, Hunan Province, the beloved Yu Li, the filial mother of the He family, begs for the good fortune of the people under her family.

A sacred statue of Guanyin’s great compassion

On the auspicious day of the eleventh month of the twenty-eighth year of the Republic of China, the statue is honoured.

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