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Gilding & Painting of Buddha Statues

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Location / Shipping info

• Recently a customer who sent a fairly big statue from the US to The Netherlands for Carmen to gild & paint it had to pay a very high customs fee (over $400) for his statue to come through. This may be bypassed if you mark your parcel as ‘gift’, but it may still happen, so you should be aware of this risk before you send it out. Carmen will handle your statue with great care and makes sure it is well-packed when it is sent back to you.
• Carmen can also gild/paint your statue when she is teaching in Europe, the US and Asia. (in Singapore usually Jan-Feb, in NYC usually in the Fall)
• Or you can bring the statue to Carmen’s studio in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Carmen Mensink can gild and paint the face of your buddha statue, according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The gilding and painting can be seen as a small ceremony called the eye-opening ceremony, which usually takes place on a (for Buddhists) special day when the energy is high, such as at full moon.

Price indication for Gilding & Painting
The (re)gilding and (re)painting of the face of a Buddha (as well as the hair) takes an average of 3 to 7 hours of work as it is done with such precision and care. The costs in general are measured by the total height of the statue:

• Statues up to 13″ / 33cm (total height) cost $175 / €150 for gilding and painting.
  The price is the same for each statue up to this size, as the amount of time it takes to gild and paint is more or less the same.
• Statues up to 15″ / 38cm (total height) cost $222 / €190 for gilding and painting.
• Statues up to 17″ / 43cm (total height) cost $257 / €220 for gilding and painting.
• Statues up to 20″ / 51cm (total height) cost $292 / €250 for gilding and painting.
• For statues larger than 20″ / 51cm (total height) please contact Carmen for a quote by filling in the form below.

Prices include all materials (including gold) and taxes. Excluding (possible) shipping fees.

Gold
The gold that I’m using is a special mix of 24 karate gold and metal that does not oxidize (this is very important).
If you want your statue painted with 100% 24 karate gold, I will have to quote an extra €108 / $125.

Price indication for only Painting
You pay half the price if the gold on your statue is still fine and you only want the features to be restored or repainted.
It’s not possible to only restore the gold.

If you would you like a price quote or some more information please fill in the form:
After the initial contact the artist might ask you to send some close-ups of the statue as reference.