Antique bronze Buddha statues

The antique bronze Buddha statues gathered under this label — whether full statues or Buddha heads, figures of worshippers, bodhisattvas or other deities — come from former private collections or from the Claude de Marteau collection. They reflect the craftsmanship of Asian workshops in metalwork, characterized by balanced volumes, meditative expressions and surfaces naturally patinated over time.

In many cases, the term “bronze” is conventionally used to describe sculptures made from copper-based alloys — mixtures of copper, tin, lead or other metals — produced using traditional casting techniques. Variations in patina, oxidation and surface wear attest to their age and to their long journey through collections assembled between the 1960s and the 1980s, sometimes acquired from specialized dealers.

This label therefore brings together a group of antique bronze Buddha statues and related sculptures, whose differences in casting, patina and modeling reflect the diversity of workshops and the various Buddhist traditions Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayana.