Nothing is more precious than the human heart, and nothing is more sought after than to capture another’s as a pre-cursor to love. However hearts should never be given away lightly, which perhaps explains the little oriental girl’s unwillingness to relinquish her grip on hers at this particular artistic juncture.

Whilst some people wear theirs on their sleeve and others seemingly not appearing to harbour one about their persons full stop, the character in question evidently has a heart – and a sizeable one by all accounts – yet is holding back on proffering it to any likely suitors here and now.

The full story isn’t remarked upon by artist, Eloise Saunders, yet it’s a fair to assume that the girl has had hers broken previously and is therefore loathed to this time give it so easily away to a potentially undeserving recipient. But naturally, there’s more to the image than first meets the eye, as buyers may or may not discover for themselves.

There’s a fluid, metallic ambience that affords the composition an almost chocolate wrapper quality, but not to detrimentally trivialise what is a highly stylised and modern study of what could easily be a traditionally oriental piece. With regard to the surface and upon closer scrutiny you can clearly make out that the silver has been sprayed over newspapers or periodicals, to give it this old versus new feel.