Chinese Monastery Stamp or Seal Depicting Quan Yin

Seated, haloed figure with a crown of flame sits within a small rectangle.

This soapstone monastery stamp or seal depicting Guanyin is from China, and dates to the early 20th century. Monasteries used seals to mark documents, scriptures and certificates, and the carved top of a seal often takes the form of a figure or an animal. Tall block with a rounded top, carved on its face with a seated figure in layered robes, a halo of rays and rows of small marks. Red pigment sits in the lines against a translucent amber-grey surface. It is 1.63 inches wide, 1.63 deep and 4.63 high.

Tiny carving with a very large presence.