Vietnam White Marble Kuan Yin Statue in Prayer with Halo, 36in

This 36-inch Kuan Yin stands upright on a double lotus pedestal with both palms pressed together at her heart, the gesture of quiet devotion that many households in the Chinese, Vietnamese and wider Mahayana traditions return to each morning. A round carved halo rises behind her head, patterned with soft cloud scrolls, and a long veil falls from her crown over her shoulders and down the length of the robe.

The crown carries a small seated Amitabha Buddha, the detail that marks her as Avalokiteshvara in the form East Asia knows as Guan Yin, the bodhisattva who hears the cries of the world. Strands of beads hang from her neck to her waist, and the robe is cut in deep, layered folds that fall in ripples to the lotus base, with sleeve hems that flare outward as though caught by a light breeze. Her eyes are lowered and her face is calm, so the figure reads as listening rather than looking.

She is carved in Vietnam White Marble, a fine, compact stone with a clean, cool white tone that keeps its brightness in a softly lit room. The surface is given a soft satin polish: smooth to the hand, with a gentle glow on the face and halo rather than a mirror shine, and the finer chisel work in the crown, beads and robe borders is left crisp.

At three feet she suits a meditation room, a dedicated home altar on a low platform, or the shrine of a small temple or Buddhist centre, where she can be seen clearly from a seated position. Every piece is carved to order, so the height, the halo pattern and the depth of the drapery can be adjusted to your space before work begins.