Here Buddha is represented in the earth-touching pose with the palm of his right hand facing down and pointing to the earth. As
the Buddha drew near to his enlightenment experience, he was assailed
by the forces of temptation (Mara). He remained steadfast, however, and
reached down to call upon the Earth to witness his vow to be unmoved by
any temptation.
Thus, it is a gesture of determination, reflecting the
immovable, unshakable aspect of meditation.
Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. in northeast India. The Buddha was
the son of the King of the Sakyas. Suddhodana, who ruled at
Kapilavastu, on the border of Nepal. His mother was Queen Maya. He was
named Siddartha. He lived amidst the pleasures of palace life and at
age 16 he was married to Princess Yasodhara. They had a son named
Rahula. After seeing a decrepid old man, an invalid, and an ascetic
beggar, he learned of suffering and decided to embrace asceticism. Soon
afterwards, at age 29, Siddhartha left the palace and his family and
went to a hermitage where he became monk Guatama, or, as he is still
called, Sakyamuni (The ascetic of the Sakyas). One day, meditating
under a sacred fig tee, he attained perfect illumination (Bodhi). He
had become a Buddha. From there on he traveled and preached for 44
years what was to become one of the main religions of the world. He
died at Kusinagara at age 80. Here Buddha is depicted in the Earth.
Almost
all of our items come with a
history card or string history card that provides background on the history,
mythology, location and main characteristics of the ancient original.
Many items come boxed in elegant color
gift boxes. We are progressively including more items in color boxes.
Museum Reproductions Information:
History of Art Reproductions:
As far as we know, the history of art reproductions
takes us back to Imperial Rome where bronze and marble reproductions of Greek masterpieces
served as decoration for lavish Roman Villas and Gardens. The art of casting is
thousands of years old: Terracotta’s, Bronzes and ancient glass were cast from molds.
Closer to our time in the mid 18th century coinciding with the search for new artistic
styles which took inspiration from the roots of classic art (neoclassicism) and
the discovery of Herculaneum in 1738 and Pompeii in 1748, archaeological reproductions
reappeared all over Europe. As a result of French expeditions to Egypt during the
nineteenth century, a casting facility was set up next to the Louvre Museum where
many important archaeological pieces from ancient Egypt were reproduced. Following
the example of the Louvre, other leading European museums began to reproduce some
of the masterpieces in their collections thus initiating a trend that continues
until today.
Art Reproduction Craftsmanship:
For the making of art reproductions, masterpieces
have been chosen from the best museums all over the world, The Louvre, The British
Museum, The National Museum of Athens, The Egyptian Museum Cairo, The New York Metropolitan
Museum of Art. We only use materials and techniques that can achieve the best quality
in reproducing original works of art to obtain very fine pieces, up to the last
detail. Our sculptures are cast in a variety of mediums: Bonded Stone, Polyresins,
and Bronze. The finish of each reproduction, is always hand-made and showing craftsmanship
and historical sense, is the work of an artisan. It is the task to present to the
people of today the legacy of those ancient civilizations with all the beauty and
mystery of our ancestors again in front of our eyes and at the reach of our hands.
There is several steps that must be taken before a museum reproduction sculpture
can be made. Most of our items are original artworks created by our sculptors, carved
out of clay, stone, or wood. Once the original is carved, a mold is made, usually
out of silicon. Crushed stone in a liquid resin medium is poured into a silicon
mold where it solidifies into a hard stone that reproduces all the detail and texture
of the original. All the finishes are done by hand. Many finishes include color
detailing, a labor intensive process where colors are applied with small brushes
by our skilled artisans.
Janus Jewelry
