23 - Statue

Statue in the namaste pose with a masked face. Hardwood, old brown patina, thick remnants of white clay in places. Northwestern Nepal. H. 40 cm. Provenance: former Jean-Luc Cortès collection Publication: Éric Chazot, Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert, *Himalayas – Art & Shamans*, Paris, LMDD, 2011, Volume II, No. 99 c, reproduced full-page. Exhibition: Espace Durand-Dessert, September 4, 2010, to July 31, 2011. This figure, depicted in the namaste posture, exudes a compact, almost architectural presence through the power of its forms and its slight sway of the hips. The face, set beneath a sort of frontal visor, appears to wear a highly simplified mask, where the barely defined eyes lend the whole a solemn inner depth. Between the density of the body and the silence of the gaze, the sculpture retains a collected, deeply rooted strength.