Bodhisattva on the Lion Throne

Viewing notes

A viewer's written impression — not a buyer review or first-hand record

The image shows a silver-grey seated bodhisattva, enthroned at ease on a lion throne, with a bodhi-leaf aureole so large behind her that it almost envelops her whole body. She wears a tall openwork crown, and beaded necklaces hang from her neck to her knees, her two arms resting separately on her lap; a small lion crouches on each side of the throne, manes curled, heads raised toward each other, and each of her feet rests upon a fully opened lotus. The leaf's veins, branching and re-branching in lines as fine as silver wire, are where the carving shows its greatest skill; the stone-like grey tone is quiet and restrained — never showy, but endlessly watchable. Scholarly in temperament, this piece suits a study, a tea room or a collector's display, where under lamplight the veining of the leaf emerges line by line, revealing more the longer you look.