Dragon Staff and Peach

Viewing notes

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

This polychrome goddess in a phoenix crown sits enthroned on a tall orange-red dragon throne. Her crown of gold and blue carries a red roundel at its centre; her face is composed, her gaze lowered. Her right hand grips a tall dragon-headed staff, its dark brown shaft carved with scales and the dragon's head rearing beside her shoulder, while her left hand holds a blush-pink peach of longevity at her knee, two green leaves at its tip. Her robes layer colour upon colour — a green ceremonial sash, blue and yellow ribbons, violet inner sleeves — over an orange skirt embroidered with golden phoenixes, its hem breaking into white and lilac tiers like surf, a pair of small pink shoes peeping out below. The throne is carved all over with golden dragons and clouds, red tassels at its sides, its square plinth studded and beast-masked. The palette is profuse yet everything sits in place: splendour with a kindly warmth. She may be enshrined alongside her companion pieces, or stand alone at the centre of a space, lending it an air of prosperous serenity.