A Brief Collector?s Guide To Bodhisattva Statues

Posted by miaasmith on March 17th, 2017

The term ‘Bodhisattva’ is derived from Sanskrit and can be translated as ‘those seeking enlightenment’. Statues of Bodhisattvas, people who were believed to be certain to attain Buddhahood according to mythology, have been found scattered across the Himalayan belt including Nepal, India, Tibet and Mongolia to name a few as well as across China, Japan and Korea. Though it all started with anthropomorphic images, sculptural renderings soon started to take over which have continued to survive from various civilizations.

Just like any kind of Indian or antique Chinese bronze statue, these sculptures have become collector’s items and are priced according to their quality and rarity. If you too are a collector of antiques or aspire to be one, here is what you should remember.

1. Make yourself familiar with history. You cannot be a good collector with dim knowledge about the history of antiques that you collect. If you are truly passionate about it, you should educate yourself about everything related to Buddhist sculptures in the world.

2. Understand the market for Bodhisattva statues. Just like changing trends, the taste for antique too fluctuates but that is not an important criteria for establishing the value of any statue. Different period styles can rise and fall in the market but if you own an exemplary piece, the era won’t matter, it’s value would remain high.

3. Never judge a piece with its photograph alone. Pictures can often be deceiving, thanks to the amazing editing technology of the modern time. Don’t be 100% sure about the quality and condition of any statue unless you have seen and held it in person.

4. Check these two points in every piece and look for inscriptions. The back and underneath of a Bodhisattva statue can be the most revealing spots. That is because forged antiques are based on pictorial references where only the front is clearly visible. So, the forgers have no clue of how the back and bottom would really look like. So, if you are aware of the history and the periodical styles of these statues, you would be able to detect strange elements that can never exist on a genuine antique.

5. Do not underestimate the importance of provenance. Finally, it is important to collect pieces that have a well documented provenance. The latter adds to its value when compared with an equally exotic piece with no history. This also helps with the international laws of various places.

Author’s bio: The author is a blogger. This article provides useful information for collectors of Bodhisattva statues. Click here www.thebuddhagallery.com