Three Faces, Six Beasts

Viewing notes

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

This polychrome three-faced figure sits before a round halo of flame, a subject rarely seen. The central face is calm, with a vertical eye in the brow; the flanking faces turn wrathful, and a white horse's head rises from the crown. The main hands are joined at the chest; one hand lowers a long staff hung with red tassels, another lifts a pink lotus. Golden-yellow robes and vermilion trousers are crossed by beaded chains, sashes knotted at the knees, and both feet rest on lotuses at either side. On the cloud platform below stands a row of six animals: a saddled horse at the centre, flanked by a dog, a goat, a black ox, a pig and a golden rooster, each wearing a belled collar and all facing the viewer. The dark carved plinth is inlaid with small coloured stones. Unusual, lively and authoritative — a highly distinctive piece for enshrining or for a collection.