398 - A KNEEILING STONE ADORANT NEPAL 18TH CENTURY

A KNEEILING STONE ADORANT NEPAL 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 24 cm Wide 13 cm Depth 10 cm without base Weight: Weigh: 4956 grams with base A kneeling worshipper is shown frontally with both palms pressed together at the chest. The figure wears a low, close-fitting headdress, large circular earrings and a long robe whose deep vertical folds spread over the bent legs and square support. The expression is calm and inward-looking, with downcast eyes and a slight smile. Dark, uneven surface tones and lighter accretions gather around the jewellery and drapery, while the sculpture is raised on a separate modern display stand. The joined hands form the anjali gesture, a widely understood expression of respect, prayer and reverence across South Asian religious traditions. Such adorants may appear beside larger sacred images, or as representations of worshippers and donors whose devotion is made permanent in sculpture. The figure gives enduring sculptural expression to the act of prayer and reverence. Its still posture and carefully organised garment give a quiet dignity to this Nepalese work.