Tallest crystal glass statue in the world

A Taiwanese artist has sculpted a Buddha statue honouring a rare ancient fresco in danger of disappearing. The Buddha of a Thousand Hands is said to be the tallest crystal glass statue in the world.

It took many hands and thousands of hours to craft the world's tallest crystal glass statue of the "Buddha of a Thousand Hands".

Liuli Gongfang, a Taiwanese crystal glass company, recently unveiled the two-metre-tall Buddha statue honouring an 800-year-old cave painting of Buddha, which has been closed to the public for years to avoid further decay.

The creator of the work says she was inspired by the mural, but also alarmed by the fact that it is deteriorating and could one day disappear.

Sculptor Loretta Yang said, "I was so amazed when I saw the ancient Buddha's painting on the wall in Dunhuang Caves in 1996. But I was also sad to know that the painting would fade away and be destroyed over time. So I felt that I should portray this Buddha's glorious appearance and preserve the love and mercy that I saw through this sculpture."

The statue was made with an ancient Chinese glass sculpturing technique. A wax model of the sculpture is taken to make a mould, which is in turn filled with liquid glass and heated in the kiln.

According to its owner, Liuli Gongfang's success lies in its meaningful designs, ranging from favored Chinese animals and Buddhist symbols, to Buddha statues and lotus flowers.

Chang Yi, CEO of LIuli Gongfang, said, "We create about 150 different, new designs each year. Our hope is that we can continue to create more works without stopping".

The company's next project is to build an even taller statue - perhaps standing at 4 metres. A glass work of that size would take a ten-meter tall kiln and years to finish.