Confluence of ideas

Tong says her personal favorite at the exhibition is another Song-era wooden Guanyin head that exemplifies an aesthetic transformation from the Tang to the Song dynasties.

"The head presents an admiration of ample physique and majestic elegance, which inherited the artistic style favored in the Tang period. Meanwhile, unlike Tang figures that highlight power and strength, the Song objects deliver a softened tone of beauty," she adds.

Gilt-bronze statues from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties on show celebrate the sophisticated workmanship of casting at the time, making the refined specimens highly sought after by collectors.

Tong says a Ming ceramic figure at the exhibition also deserves attention. It portrays the Wenshu deity, or Manjushri bodhisattva, holding a jade ruyi scepter and sitting on a lion. It was cast in the prestigious Longquan kiln in Zhejiang province, known for producing ceramics that boast grayish-green glaze glittering with tranquil luminosity.