Altarpiece with a figure of patriarch

The small altarpiece is carved from wood covered in golden and black lacquer. The figure of a monk or patriarch seated on a mat in the Zen posture zazen and holding a whisk is not identified. This type of lockable altarpiece zushi was very popular with Zen Buddhist sects. This exemplar from the National Gallery Prague comes from aristocratic collections and the Gallery acquired it from Hrubý Rohozec Chateau.