Prayer at the Centre

Viewing notes

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

This golden seated Buddha, backed by the tallest aureole of its set, occupies the central position of a matching triad. He wears a gem-set crown over black snail-curl hair; his pale face faintly golden, eyes lowered, palms pressed together at his chest, a small object cradled between his fingers, his legs folded in full lotus on a throne of golden lotus tiers. His robe is vermilion red above and slate blue below, embroidered all over with floral roundels and scrolling stems. Behind him the aureole rises highest of the three: golden flames gather from its outer rim into a sharp point, dragons coiling through rolling clouds within, a beast-mask crowning the whole. Beneath, an octagonal pedestal steps inward in tiers, beast-heads guarding its corners. Seated at the centre, the figure becomes the pivot of the whole arrangement — enshrined at a shrine's principal position, or grouped with its left and right companions, it sets the tone for the entire room.