Tucked in the very heart of the mighty Himalayas, the Kathmandu valley in the Kingdom of Nepal has for centuries
been home for craftsmen creating some of the finest religious figures in that part of the world with many valuable collections in museums today.

Made for the temples and monasteries as well as private households as far as Tibet and China, all the beautiful statues in Alain Rouveure’s collections are produced following the very ancient tradition of the “lost wax” process.

Unlike a “cast” which can generate 1000’s of the same item - especially good for the tourist industry because it is cost efficient at the expense of fineness, the wax method starts by an individual artist carving the figure out of pure bee’s wax.

This wax model will be sold to a small family-run specialist foundry workshop.

Prices for such wax works very much depend on their age and the ability and talent of the artist in giving life and ideal proportions to the figure chosen.

Some will reach four-figure sums…