Triad Before a Flame Aureole

Viewing notes

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

This wood-toned triad of standing figures shares one enormous flame-shaped aureole. The central Buddha stands on a lotus pedestal, his right hand raised in a seal before his chest and his left lowered, holding an object, with a round head-halo behind him. A bodhisattva stands at each side amid finely worked drapery and beaded ornaments — one holding a lotus stem, the other a small vessel — their lotus bases joined by carved clouds. The aureole is covered edge to edge with flowing flame and cloud lines picked out in gold, rising to a point that gathers all three figures into a single composition. Nothing is brightly coloured; its solemnity comes from the density and layering of the carving. A set made to be enshrined together at the principal position of a shrine, or to anchor an entire room at first glance.