Kneeling in Prayer

Viewing notes

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

This copper-toned figure of an elderly monk is shown in profile, kneeling with his palms pressed together. His head is shaven and his face lean and deeply lined, the wrinkles and slack skin of the neck carved with quiet realism. He kneels upright on a low, rock-form base, feet tucked beneath him, his back straight, fingers clearly defined where the hands meet at his chest. The robe covers one shoulder only, leaving the other arm bare; the cloth slides down his back, gathers into a few parallel folds at the waist, and spreads smoothly over the folded legs. The tone is a deep, mellow bronze, the face and hands slightly darker than the robe. Low and gathered, the pose has nothing showy about it. It suits the side of a shrine, a tea room or a meditation corner — a piece for slowing down beside.