Palms Joined on the Cloud Seat

Viewing notes

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

This standing figure is a monk in form: shaven head, long earlobes, palms pressed together at his chest, his layered robe falling to bare feet set upon a lotus disc, his gaze lowered in composure. The figure itself is a bright, luminous gold, the light travelling slowly along the rises and falls of the drapery. The round pedestal below, by contrast, is a matte sandy gold, carved all over in relief with rolling clouds and watery waves, cloud-heads piled layer upon layer — the 'cloud seat' of the title. Two golds, one shining and one muted, set each other off. The drapery runs from shoulder to foot in restrained lines without ornament for its own sake; the figure's dignity rests on the uprightness of the stance. A piece made to stand as an attendant at the side of a shrine, or alone in an entryway or tea room — saying nothing, yet quieting everyone who walks in.