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The historic Buddha who lived circa from 563 until 463 BC on earth, was only one Buddha in a long series of Buddha predecessors and yet to come successors. One of the oldest Buddhas is Dipankar - a real Methuselah.
Dipankar is said to come from an unknown city with the name of Deepavati. And when he was born a strange light was cast from bright lamps ('dipa'). Thus he was called Dipankar.
Dipankar Buddha is said to have lived for a mere hundred thousand years on earth.
Dipankar Buddha - Once upon a Time
I kind of like the Dipankar statues made of copper all by hand by Newari artisans after the old method of 'lost wax' (cire perdue). The best statues are plated with real gold and decorated with semi-precious stones. Most statues show Dipankar Buddha standing. He is clad in a lush gown with rich decorations.
The statues showing Dipankar Buddha standing that I have seen, were all made of a full copper piece - in contrast to sitting Buddhas or Tara that are hollow inside to save metal and weight. When you take a statue of a standing Dipankar Buddha in your hand, you can feel the heavy weight and it gives you a good feeling of a solid piece of art.
Good statues show a very elaborate chiseling of Dipankar's gown. You should also take a look at the hands and feet. These are often the crucial parts where one can recognize differences in quality. My advice: Make no compromises, and go only for best quality.
New - not Old
Dipankar as a gold-plated statue in standing position has now become a bit rare. At least during my last visit in Nepal in 2008 I have not seen any. To make myself clear, I am talking about newly made or recently made statues, not about antiques. Antiques are defined by the Nepalese administration as anything older than hundred years. And it is strictly prohibited to export antiques or take them out of the country. And for a good reason. Nepal has been plundered of its cultural heritage after the opening of the country in 1964.
Fake Antiques
I recently happened to see a Dipankar statues offered on the net as 19th century. A blunt fake. At least the price was far too low for an antique statue. Nepal statues are so cheap anyway due to the low standard of living in this country, one of the poorest in the world.
It does not make much sense either to go for an antique statue. The old craft has remained alive up to our days, and these statues are basically still made as they were made hundreds of years ago. Only fools who have no idea of quality nor any knowledge about this art form, go for "antique" statues.
Bought in 1979 in Kathmandu
I bought "my Dipankar Buddha" in Kathmandu in 1979. I display it here with enlarged details to train your eye for quality.
Dieter Wanczura, May 2010.
