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I came accross this very heavy marble Budhha that looks old. Can anyone help? Im trying to determine how old & how much it may be worth.
Please help! Thanks all!

Hi,
this is a "Mandalay" Buddha from Burma, probably not so old, maybe 50 to 70yrs or so. Depending on the quality, (& from your photo`s I`d say yours is "so, so") can sell from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousand if you`re lucky. They`re not uncommon pieces & only the best seem to sell for decent money.

Hi Bruce,

I believe this to be a Burmese Buddha statue late 19th early 20th century.

It is made of alabaster, not marble i don't think.

Value? around 500 US$ for about 1 feet high.

Have a nice day.

Hello, I am not into chinese marble but I think this is not very old. Something like post-WW2 I suppose.
Can't say about the value, I'd say only a decorative value.

Hi Bruce,

The Buddha is from Burma (Myanmar) - I would say it is from Shan State and carved from white Alabaster. It does seem to have age but photos with less light from form the back and more on the figure would help.

Is there contrast between the smoothness of the stone when you compare the exposed body parts to the robe? On some old ones the arm, face and hands are buffed very smooth and the robe is left coarser. I have an old one and will try and post some photos.

Lastly some people should not be allowed near red and black paint.... If it was mine I would carefully clean the face off.... no I would scrub like all hell!!

Regards,
JJ

Hi Bruce,

As promised herewith images of my Burmese Buddha. It is from the first half of the 19th Century and carved from white Alabaster (it is very difficult to photograph alabaster I find.)

When collecting Buddhas I feel it is very important to look at things such as facial expression and quality of carving, Burmese ones in particular, as they can be gorgeous or ill-proportioned and just "miss the mark" The thing that really throws me about yours are the eyes that look ahead (virtually all old Buddhas have dreamy cast down eyes) As the eyes were painted on later on yours - in my opinion -look at the carved eye line in the stone.

The one image I attach is detail of the robe falling onto the lotus throne - well carved I think.

Sorry I am very busy and rushed...

Regards
JJ

Hi JJ,

Yes, very nice piece and great carving.

Comparing to Bruce's and mine, just look at the hands of yours, beautifully and finely carved.

Hi Pierre,

Thank you for the compliments - they should go to the person who carved the piece a long time ago. The carving on mine is some of the finest I have seen with regards to Burmese figures - the hands and feet are really well done. I love this figure- it took me four years to acquire him!

A question to you: My figure has lost basically all traces of paint and pigment. There is a little bit of yellow left on the robe but what I find strange is Purple stains on the stone. I can see your figure has similar purple markings where the yellow paint had worn off. Any ideas?

I think your Buddha is very nice too, not very fine carving but it is an honest Burmese piece and I really like that.

Regards,
JJ

Hi JJ,

Good question.
U got me to dig out my little microscope and have a good look at it.

It seams to be remains of some sort of metallic based paint. Probably silver???

Under microscope this purple color looks more gray/brown.

Pure speculation, I don't have the answer to this, sorry.

Have a nice day.

Bruce,

The moderators of this forum clearly states that postings should be about the item posted and not the person posting it, but I really feel like crossing that line here.

This comment is directed to all who post images wanting free info and valuations but don't have the refinement and common courtesy to say "Thank you" I took photos of my Buddha for you to compare and hopefully learn, while I was rushed off my feet and actually did not have the time to do so.
Clearly all you were interested in was the $€¥£ we would put to the figure. I suppose I should have picked up on that shallow interest when I saw the Lord Buddha placed next to detergent on a kitchen counter.

Honestly- is Thank you so difficult?

Hello,
Having traveled extensively in Thailand, it seems as though I must have seen thousands of bronze and marble statues and countless images of Buddha, yet the Buddhas displayed in this thread do all seem more similar to the Buddhas I saw during several covert trips I made into eastern Burma, though regrettably, I was asked by my non-governmental military escorts not to photograph them.

I do however have a photo of a similar Burmese Buddha taken in Northern Thailand at one of the monasteries in the Thai/Burma border town of Mae Hong Son which shows all of the details of the robes which must have been painted on these smaller Buddhas.

It was always quite interesting to see the rooms in the monasteries where hundreds of Buddha statues of every size, style, and material were on display, apparently donated by the families of the deceased. I imagine if I were to go through my Thailand photo collections, I could easily gather a thousand different photos of Buddha.

And I agree with JJ's comments about saying Thank You.

Cheers
Gman

Dear JJ!
I don't know about Bruce but I am sure that lot of readers of this forum are grateful to you for info and pix of your nice Buddha.
I have one Burma's alabaster Buddha and would like to thank you my personal.

Hi All,

Quite refreshing when you have more people interact!

Gman, thanks for sharing your photo- it goes to show how all the Buddhas are so different yet share similarities. I go green at the thought of what you must have seen in your travels.... Regarding not being allowed to photograph - would that be for religious / respect reasons or security? I once wanted to take photos in a Temple in China and had a lot of security guards pounce.... security was their concern.

Andrey, what a beautiful image!! It seems to be white alabaster too. Interestingly I don't mind the strong black and red paint on yours... it is painted on with care and gives the face a very calm expression. I also like the broken bits very much - I know most collectors would prefer everything intact but I feel that damaged pieces show that they have been lived with, and that I like. At first I thought your piece to be an image of a "Disciple of Buddha" but I suppose it is a Buddha - generally Burmese Disciples sit with their arms stretched to the side and both hands on the ground. I wonder if anyone can say with certainty what the Mudra (position of the hands) would have been on yours?? In any event I think your Buddha is very nice.

Hi Pierre, interesting thought that the purple stains could be from silver? I will let you know if I learn more.

Regards
JJ

I’d like to thank everyone who answered my posting. (especially JJ) Looks like I triggered some very interesting conversation (& emotions) & some very nice photos. I’ve been a casual collector of pieces through my travels over the years. I’d like to share with everyone a wooden Buddha I picked up some years back. I don’t think its valuable, but it’s one of my very favorites’. The face is so wonderfully carved. The pictures don’t do it justice. I have many more to share if there’s interest. I’ve decided even though I really need the monies, I’m going to keep all of my Buddha’s.. Thanks all! Everyone is very special.. God Bless!

"Gman, thanks for sharing your photo- it goes to show how all the Buddhas are so different yet share similarities. I go green at the thought of what you must have seen in your travels.... Regarding not being allowed to photograph - would that be for religious / respect reasons or security? I once wanted to take photos in a Temple in China and had a lot of security guards pounce.... security was their concern."

Hi JJ,
Security.
The interactions between the various (non-government) armed ethnic groups in Eastern Burma are quite complicated, and therefore require discretion.
When I was living and working in a jungle village along the Thai/Burma border in 2006-07, some Burmese ethnic minority groups had cease-fire agreements with the Burmese junta, and one could, with the proper connections, enter through non-governmental checkpoints, and travel in areas seldom visited by outsiders.

One such trip in particular stands out where I was driven to the site of a proposed clinic by a Lt.Colonel of one of those cease-fire groups in his pickup-truck while he blared his 1970's vintage ultra-corny, super-twangy country western music, with several guys in the back who were packing automatic weapons and grenade launchers, it was quite surrealistic to say the least.

To someone visiting Thailand or Burma, one statue of Buddha may seem to look just like a dozen more they saw earlier the same day, but to the locals, they can see a photo of a statue of Buddha and say, "Oh that is the Buddha from such and such temple in Chiangrai".

By the same token, a photo of a Buddha statue taken in Eastern Burma can be easily identified as to where it was taken, and if the photo turned up on the internet, the Burma army would be upset that foreigners were traveling in locations where they are not supposed to be, and send troops to that area to investigate why they were not informed. Suffice to say they can be quite unpleasant, and everyone would just rather not have it come down to that.

Thailand sometimes gets bent out of shape if photos of refugee camps get posted online, but as far as statues of Buddha are concerned, the only time I can recall a no photos rule was inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha located in the Wat Phra Kaew complex adjacent to the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Cheers
Gman

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