Beneath the Golden Pointed Arch

Viewing notes

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

This golden figure of a bearded ascetic sits in full lotus within a towering pointed arch of flame. A cloth cap wraps his head, the dark beard frames a deep, inward gaze, the chest lies bare, and both hands rest in his lap holding a small golden orb. His robe is anything but plain: on a deep blue ground, dense floral scrolls in muted colours give it the richness of brocade, a quiet counterpoint to all the surrounding gold. The aureole behind him rises to a point, its rim a solid wall of golden flame; within, paired dragons coil among clouds, inlaid with small red and green stones. The tiered throne below stacks lotus petals, dragons and balustrades, and at its base four small elephants raise their trunks at the corners. Half an ascetic's stillness, half a treasury's splendour — a weighty presence for a shrine or a collection.