Suiseki Animal Figure – “Dromedary”

Description

Dromedary is a sandstone (arenaria) suiseki by Italian artist Felice Colombari, masterfully capturing the spirit of an animal through the subtle poetry of natural form. This piece belongs to the rare and beloved category of animal-figure suiseki, stones that echo the essence of living beings without losing their abstract, meditative quality.

Resting on a finely crafted Koto wood daiza, the stone gently arcs into the recognizable silhouette of a dromedary—its single hump rising smoothly at the center, and what appears to be a head forming at the left end. The “head” is marked by a delicate white inclusion, which strikingly resembles an eye, giving the stone a sense of presence and awareness that feels both symbolic and serendipitous.

The curves of the stone are soft, weathered by time, and imbued with a quiet sense of motion—like a dromedary kneeling in rest or gazing across a desert horizon. The composition strikes a graceful balance between natural abstraction and recognizable form, inviting the viewer to observe not only its shape, but also the emotion and narrative it subtly suggests.

The Koto wood daiza cradles the stone with understated elegance, complementing its earthy tones and enhancing the sense of grounded serenity. As with all of Colombari’s work, the relationship between stone and base is deeply harmonious—never decorative, but deeply intentional.

Dromedary is a work that captures the essence of life within stone—a quiet tribute to endurance, solitude, and the quiet power of observation. It speaks to the soul of suiseki: where form, feeling, and nature meet in perfect stillness.