Ivory is another material used in the making of a variety of Buddhist sculptures. Ivory is a hard, opaque and off-white substance that is tusks or teeth of animals like the elephant, walrus, hippopotamus, mammoth and narwhal. Though most civilizations mainly depended on other material like granite, limestone, and marble, gilt-bronze and gold for making the Buddhist sculptures, some have also used ivory in many Buddha art. Ivory is not a widely available material, there sculptors have to depend on other material for making their sculptures. There are many handicraft stores where you will come across Ivory Buddhist sculptures in various postures.
Types of Ivory Buddha Sculptures
The different Ivory Buddhist Sculptures are created in various postures with various facial expressions. Buddha has been a source of inspiration for artists through several centuries.
From the standing Buddha, seated Buddha to Buddha in an enlightened pose, meditative pose, half closed eyes and blessing Buddha, all this and more Buddhist sculpture in ivory have been created by various sculptors over many years.
Examples of these ivory Buddha sculptures can be seen in cave temples, museums and monasteries in most places in Asia.
One of the prominent examples of a Buddha sculpture made in ivory can be found at the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai (Bombay) in Western India. This Buddhist sculpture is shown in a seated position flanked by his devotees on either side.
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The Buddha is depicted in a meditative pose and is a carved ivory sculpture from Kashmir from the 8th century CE and is10 cm in height.
For more updates on Materials for Making Buddhist Sculptures, visit the related links provided on www.buddhistsculptures.com
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