Buddhist Sculptures » Materials for Making Buddhist Sculptures » Bronze

Bronze

Bronze is one of the most common material and metal used for making Buddhist sculpture. After the Buddhist form of art gained great prominence, most sculptors preferred to use bronze as the material for their carving, rather than clay or terra cotta. Apart from giving a shiny and smooth golden lustrous look, bronze is more durable than clay, wood, and terra cotta. Moreover, bronze Buddhist sculpture can be easily maintained as they are corrosion resistant and can be polished or cleaned without much hassle, thus giving it a new look every time.

Methods of Making Bronze Buddhist Sculpture
There are two methods of casting Buddhist bronze images, they are: the piece-mold method, and the lost wax method.

In the piece-mold method of bronze casting, a sandstone or clay model of Buddha is made and then covered with a layer of clay. Then it is cut and removed in two or more pieces for forming an outer mold. The outer clay mold is then carved with décor and the outer surface of the clay model is taken away.

Liquefied bronze is then poured between the outer molds and the model. During the period of Six Dynasties, the halo behind the head of many Buddhist images was cast separately from the rest of the figure by using this technique of bronze casting. In the lost wax method of bronze casting, there is a wax model packed with an outer layer of clay. It is then slightly heated. When the wax model melts out and escapes through a tiny hole in the clay, the hollow clay figure is then replaced with molten bronze. Once the molten bronze solidifies, the clay outer layer is removed. With the help of this method, exceedingly difficult designs can be created where the artist needs to be patient, skilled, and experienced.

List of Bronze Buddhist Sculptures
Although there is a great variety of Buddhist statues and figurines, there are certain pieces of creation that deserves mention. Some of the famous Buddhist sculptures made of bronze are as follows: