Cast iron figure of a monk, China, Sculpture, ca. 1490.

Figure of a monk sitting cross-legged with both hands hidden within the folds of the robe. The robe is fastened by a circular clasp hanging from the left shoulder. The monk has long earlobes, with curved joined eyebrows and a closed mouth, pointing downwards. His head is shaved. The casting lines are visible, and it looks as though the head was cast separately.

This cast iron figure would have been covered with gesso, paper and paint, and so the coarse casting lines left from the production process would have been hidden. He is sitting in the lotus or meditating position. His mouth is closed and his head tilts downwards. He is deep in his own world and makes no attempt to engage with the viewer. His shaven head suggests that he has renounced the material world, and expresses his devotion to spiritual life. Long earlobes are said to represent wisdom and spiritualism but also, in east Asia, long life.

Cast iron came into use for outdoor sculpture during the Song dynasty (960–1279) because of a bronze shortage. After casting, the surface was covered with gesso, lacquer, paper and paint. These have since disappeared, to reveal the coarse casting lines that show how the figure was made in sections and then welded together. The simple stylised lines on the monk’s robe underline the sparse and spiritual aesthetic of the figure as a whole.

M.318-1921