Moreover, the indication of its spiritual properties was linked with the term “Marian blue” - the shade that became Madonna's official color with the rise of Mariology and the cult of the Virgin. Later the ultramarine was more associated with the concept of mystery, purity, femininity and superiority being used by Baroque and Rococo artists for underlining the features of their protagonists.
Returning to Chinese Guanyin from V & A museum, it’s worth emphasizing that the name of lapis lazuli in Chinese (“青金石”) means “blue golden stone” and it was perceived in the same way, as in other corners of the ancient world. In China, the use of lapis lazuli was mentioned in writings as early as the sixth and eighth centuries BCE. According to the manuscript “Yongchang Governing Records,” drinking out of cups carved of lapis lazuli might ease obstructed labor. Chinese mineralogist Zhang Hongzhao in his work "Shi Ya" writes "The lapis lazuli hue is either like the heavens, or the complex golden shavings are scattered on it, and its shine is more brilliant, if the stars rise beautiful in the sky.”

The color blue in Chinese conception is seen in combination with green or black, standing for healing, trust and longevity, growth and harmony. It’s noteworthy that lapis was treasured especially by Tibetan Buddhists, exiling the character of "Medicine Buddha." Tibetans believed that it’s a "stone of total awareness", helping to bring conscious atonement to the intuitive and psychic aspects of one's nature, expand awareness and intellectual capacity and contact guardian spirits. In the mortal world, the use of this rare, imported stone was restricted to the “Son of Heaven”—the emperor—and the royal court, being worn as buckles or plaques on the belt and used for worship rituals and ceremonies. The ancient Chinese texts pointed to the employment of lapis lazuli for the “altar of heaven”, as the synonyms for “blue” were linked with denoting heavenly blessings. Nevertheless, the love of Chinese emperors and craftsmen undoubtedly belonged to another stone- jade merited for its smooth texture, durability and hues, widely used for decorative, spiritual and auspicious objects. Thus, the references of “blue stone” in a number of records and descriptions, as well as poems authored by Chinese scholars, courtiers and royal family members are not exact, it still remains unclear whether they referred to certain types of jade, turquoise or concretely to lapis lazuli. Anyway, it’s known that there are fewer than a hundred pieces of lapis in the Forbidden City, but the question of how many and what kind of lapis lazuli figurines and other items are in the museum and private collections worldwide is to be explored. 

The Guanyin (觀音, Kwan Yin, Kuan Yin) from the Victoria and Albert museum, embodies the Chinese Buddhist deity- Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, who has achieved the highest aim in Buddhism, enlightenment, and may pass into Nirvana, the state of freedom from suffering and the endless cycle of rebirth. Bodhisattvas elect instead to remain in the earthly realm, easing the suffering of all beings and helping mortals to attain enlightenment. The earliest known mention of Guanyin in China comes from a Chinese translation of the Indian sacred text the “Lotus Sutra” in 286, which records the deity’s vow to save those in danger of murder, shipwreck and other forms of hardship. Guanyin’s universal and inclusive nature lies in various ways to read this semi-divine creature: as male or female. 

One of the beloved themes in Chinese Buddhist art- Guanyin was carved, gilded and glazed from wood, metals, jade, bamboo, bronze, natural stones, ivory, etc. There is an impressive number of porcelain Guanyin figures survived nowadays. With an intensity of blue color V & A sample is comparable to a glass-made blue Guanyin figurine from Beijing (Pic9).