Bangkok shops for old/antique statues
 

We'd love to buy a beautifully carved wooden statue, perhaps a Guanyin image or other Buddhist image. some of the ones from Burma are sensational. Any recommended shops or antique dealers?

Robbie-there's a very good shop near the Royal Orchid Sheraton. It's on the Soi (alley) to your right as you exit the lobby of the ROS. We saw some great stuff.

Also, you should take a look at River City, a mall next to the ROS. It would be easy to combine a visit to both locations.

Robbie- I bought a wooden Buddha and 2 monks. A complete set is with 6 pieces, but I had it split up due to cost. I'll e-mail you the name of the shop I use in River City Mall. Tell the guy I sent you and he should go down on the price if you find something you like. Happy Travels!

I've also purchased at River City. Some shops are great, some are not. Another place to consider, though he mostly has Tibetan items is Amantee out by Dun Muang. Check out the website of the same name. The man who owns the place is really lovely, and I alwayd enjoy talking with him. He often has some unusual items.

You should keep in mind that what's sold as "antique" in Thailand is generally brand new. There are no laws governing what can be sold as an antique.

In fact, any Buddha image that is truly old will need approval from the Dept. of Fine Arts to be exported. A reputable shop will take care of this for you.

River City .Some truly fabulous things over 3 floors .A good starting point .I think the shops have one of the best the region .You are likely to find what you want there .A good shop will distinguish the copies from the truly old . And many of the images you may think are Thai/ Burmese and of the Lord Buddha are in fact of monks .That is how you are allowed to remove them without permit from the country .

So River City among the others mentioned is now high priority. Thanks all. Don't let me stifle further responses.

Agree on River City some very lovely stuff, also get the Nancy Chanlder map and see what she recomments. But otherwise, not being stifled I would say don't try to buy antique, or believe it is antique because (i) there is no way of knowing that it truly is antique beyond the worthless piece of paper from the dealer swearing that it is (or carbon testing which can't be done on stone obviously), and (ii) if it IS antique, that means it was chopped off a temple, most likely illegally. Do you want to contribute to that. The authentication paper authentication from the dealer is not enforceable, what do you do if it turns out not to be true, try to claim against the dealer? (good luck in a Thai court, get in line with other plaintiffs and then after years if you prevail, try to collect on the judgment, I can tell you some stories). I would buy new or "instant antique" as they say.

Buy what you like, don't buy for an investment. I usually say to a shop keeper that I consider antiques to be bad luck (which in fact I do think they are, it's a Chinese thing I have picked up from years in Asia) and am looking for new, amazing, how they come up with new pieces at that point, and the prices are better too....

I agree... to buy what you like and not worry whether or not it's an antique. Happy Travels!

Thanks for straightening me out and sage advice.

Robbie- I'll e-mail you the antique dealer info as soon as I can get to it. I think it's in a file box in back of the closet. I'll probably be in all day tomorrow and Saturday as it's supposed to start raining...and for 2 whole days. I might surface out of my place on Sunday if the rain has stopped. So, I'll have all day/night to find it. Smiles. Happy Travels!

Are you by any chance going to Chiang Mai? We purchased something quite memorable from Baan Mai antiques. They have two shops in the CM area and were completely dependable including shipping to the states.

Robbietravels, I am just re-reading your post and see that you may want to purchase a figure of Guanyin. OK, not to be too pedantic, but Guanyin is the Chinese (Mandarin) name for what you are looking for, the Sanskrit name is Avalokiteshvara, you may want to use this name when shopping. Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva, i.e. a person who has postponed their own Buddhahood to help bring others on to enlightenment Avalokiteshvara is actually a male bodhisattva, who in later centuries in China and some other places has taken on female characteristics. I think in Thailand, most statutes you will see will be of a more male type figure, he/she often has many arms (to grant wishes, protect people, etc this is a hugely powerful bodhisattva).

The main thing for Thailand is that Thai Buddhism is of the Theravada school and is not part of the Mahayana movement, and therefore generally does not recognize Avalokiteshvara. So, you may not see a lot of statutes for sale, and those you do would be new and may have been created purely for the tourist market. That may actually be a good thing, as it would most likely not been hacked off a temple. They should also be a low price, as locals probably don't want to buy them. Use both of these factors when bargaining.

Robbie is in Bhutan. She e-mailed me a few days ago from the Thai lounge in the Bangkok airport. Happy Travels!

The only countries in Asia I purchased genuine 17th and 18th Century antiques buddha's, swords,etc. were in small shops in Kuala Lumpur and in Jave, Indonesia. Sold many in NYC at Swann Auction House and most commanded 20-25 times my purchase price plus I kept 5 for my collection. Thailand maybe late 19th C but at a very high price and NOT a Buddha.