Sword Raised, Tortoise Underfoot

Viewing notes

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

This polychrome guardian stands with a sword, long ribbons circling him in mid-air. His black hair falls loose down his back, gathered only in a small knot at the crown; the brows are faintly knit, the eyes half-lowered, a three-stranded beard on his chest. The right hand grips a long sword pointed straight upward, gold hilt and bright blade, while the left is raised at the chest in the sword-seal. He wears a purple brocade robe dense with multicoloured cloud-and-flower patterns, a golden scale pauldron on the right shoulder, a beast-face belt buckle, and a studded armour skirt with blue fringe; one purple-green ribbon sweeps from behind the shoulders in a great arc down to the base. His bare feet stand on a pedestal of pale teal swirling clouds, one foot resting lightly on a great red-brown tortoise, a small teal snake coiled on its shell. Quiet yet commanding, he suits enshrinement for the protection of a home, or a place beside the main seat of a shrine or hall, where he gathers every gaze.