Whilst prayers to Hindu deities particularly the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are a communal ritual in Bali, the preparations usually by women reveal its personal touch like in this work by Lee Man Fong recollecting a nubile maiden decorating a prayer bouquet in Denpasar. The prayer can take the form of the simpler canang sari flower offerings on trays of palm leaves, or towering braided totems of fruits, cakes and flowers which are eventually carried and balanced on the head by women sauntering their way to the temples, almost daily. Such rituals and romance are deemed exotic by foreign tourists, and the calendar is decked with various ceremonies from birth to death. Lee Man Fong is re-creating an impression from his 1941 trip to Bali in his inimitable sepia-hued colours, soft and dreamy that even mute the brighter colours usually on the sarung for a soothing harmonious feel.   He topped his auction records when two Bali Life works sold for US$4.64m (Christie’s Hong Kong, Nov 23 2013) and US$3.4 million (Sotheby’s Hong Kong, April 2010).