Arhats in a Pale Mountain Scene

Viewing notes

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

This mountain-scene relief is worked throughout in a pale wood tone: a dozen monk figures, together with an elephant, a lion, a tiger and a crane, are spread across a ground of deep-brown rock. At the highest point a long-bearded elder rides slowly upon the elephant, a small boy standing at its side; midway, a golden-faced figure sits in full lotus cradling a round object in both hands; at lower left an old monk and a young one bend over a small beast while another leans upon his staff. The robes are built up in pale layered carving, the faces left plain or touched with gold, their softness set against rugged rock and winding carved water. Nothing here depends on colour; the pleasure lies in the density of the carving and the way the figures answer one another — an absorbing piece of quiet display for a study, a tea room or an entrance hall.