Buddha and materials

The craze for the representation of Buddha has been around for a long time. Whether in a spiritual way by religious belief or purely for the serenity that it brings to a living room as an object of decoration, this one never leaves you indifferent.

It is therefore found today in all its forms and finishes. With this article, we will try to make you appreciate and familiarize you with them.
One of the most noble materials still used today is bronze. Whether in its classic version in dark brown or today more in an oxidized bronze which gives us magnificent shades of green, most of these are made with the greatest attention to detail. Fine and refined face, elegant hand position, bronze is for me one of the most beautiful materials to represent the Buddha. Many ancient Buddhas that can be found in the majority of temples in Thailand and Burma are made of bronze, but often covered with gold leaf.
Another widely used material is marble or alabaster. These natural materials are mostly used in white for its purity. Burmese artisans are masters when it comes to sculpting these materials. Drawn from a single block of marble, a Buddha requires great mastery and experience, because the artist is not entitled to any mistakes! Some current reproductions are very successful, but the most beautiful subjects are the old pieces, because as with everything, the old techniques are being lost and the number of artists still able to carry out this type of work is decreasing more and more. Indeed, spending 1 month on a part is no longer profitable and the young generation is therefore focusing on trades that are more profitable today.

Wood is of course one of the most common materials for sculpting a Buddha. But you will find many recent pieces whose quality and finishes sometimes leave something to be desired ... You should know that the harder the wood, the more detailed the sculptor can be in the realization of his work. This is why a teak wood Buddha will generally always be more successful than a mango wood for example. But the price will also be felt…. Subsequently, these are often covered with gold leaf or polychrome.

Next we have the Lava Stone Buddhas coming mainly from Indonesia. They distinguish different types of Buddha in this matter.
1 / The sculpted lava stone
You must first be aware that a real lava stone Buddha may have different colors depending on the origin of the Volcano that can vary from different shades of gray-black going up to blue / gray, but also red. This rock being very hard, it requires a lot of experience, patience, and precision to sculpt it, but the most beautiful achievements will be in this material, because given the hardness of the stone, this leaves the possibility to the sculptor to more precision and detail. These will therefore also be more expensive than a molded Buddha. Particularity of these, very heavy but very resistant even to intensive frost.



2 / the reconstituted lava rock.

This is a molding technique, that is to say that we make a mixture of concrete with lava rock dust which is placed in a mold. After drying, it is removed from the mold and sometimes reworked with pigments to obtain different finishes. Special features of this method, very heavy, not ideal for outdoors in cold countries, and more delicate, but better value for money.
3 / the JRC
Technique which consists in first making a hollow polyester subject on which the mixture of concrete and lava rock is poured. The advantage is that it is therefore much lighter and much more practical for very large subjects and resistant to frost. In addition, using this technique, the rendering and the feel is the same as a stone piece.

But that your choice is on any of our Buddhas, know that each piece is chosen by me. I do not buy a single Buddha without it "talking to me". I must find in his posture and his face the serenity and calm that one can find by looking at him. As for the series Buddhas, these are also chosen from suppliers that we have known for many years and who carry out top quality sculpting work!