Vietnam White Marble Standing Buddha for an Indoor Pool Courtyard, 5 Feet

A long, narrow pool is a line that needs an ending. This standing Buddha is carved to be that ending: five feet of cool white marble at the far end of the water, so that anyone entering the courtyard looks straight down the pool and arrives at him. Seated figures sit low and are read up close. A standing one holds the whole length of a courtyard, which is why this piece is the vertical anchor of the collection.

The gesture: abhaya, the raised hand

He stands upright on a round lotus base. The right hand is raised at the chest with the palm turned out, the abhaya mudra, the gesture that says do not be afraid. The left hand hangs lowered beside the robe. The robe falls from both shoulders in long, even folds to the ankles, and the bare feet rest on the open lotus, with tight curls and the ushnisha flame crowning the head. It is a simple, frontal form, and that is deliberate: seen at the end of a pool, the outline has to read clearly from twenty or thirty feet away, and the raised palm is the first thing the eye finds.

Why Vietnam white marble beside water

Vietnam white marble is a crisp, slightly cool white, closer to fresh milk than to ivory, with only faint grey clouding in places. Beside water and green planting a warm white can drift towards cream; this stone keeps reading white in soft daylight from a skylight or an open courtyard roof. It is finished in a soft satin polish, so highlights move gently over the shoulders and the robe folds, the thin edges of the fingers and earlobes carry a slight translucency, and the surface is easy to wipe clean of mineral spots left by splashes.

Placing a five-foot figure at the pool's end

At 60 inches the figure, the lotus and the base are about 18 inches across, so he fits between a pair of columns or in front of a water wall without crowding them. Set him on a plinth or a raised step at the end of the pool rather than at floor level, high enough that the face sits a little above eye height from the entrance. A piece of this size is heavy, so we confirm the finished weight and the footing with your architect or site team once the base design is agreed, before carving begins, and we plan how it will be moved into the courtyard.

Carved to your brief

Every statue is carved to order by the master sculptors we work with in Rajasthan. You can change the height, the lotus base, the plinth or the facial style to suit the space, or ask for the same standing form in Makrana white marble. We agree the drawing with you first, then arrange crating and delivery to your site, in India or abroad.