A friend is coming to Chiang Mai, who wants to buy some high-quality replicas (copies) of ancient Khmer sandstone statues.

There are some sculptors in Thailand, often Cambodians, who are producing some fine imitations of the sculptures seen in Khmer temples, like Angkor Wat. Sometimes it's really hard to tell the fakes from the originals. The new statues get buried in the ground for a time to make them look old.

Many of the original Khmer statues have been torn out of temples, stolen, and shipped to the West to be sold to art collectors at exorbitant prices. My friend doesn't want an original. He wants a fake that looks so authentic that only an expert would know it's a copy. He's interested in small statues, about 15 to 20 inches high. He wants more than one. His motives are honest. (Some dishonest antique dealers try to sell the copies at high prices, saying they're "antiques." He's not doing that.)

There are some big sculpture factories in the Korat area, but the quality of the work is not always great. We'd like to find a sculptor who is very skillful. We're told there may be someone like that working in the Chiang Mai area.

Has anyone seen this type of sculpture for sale anywhere?

Last year we built a simple but comprehensive website for a local sculptor Santi. His work is absolutely brilliant and he works in just about every medium. Forum rules say i cant post his website URL here, but happy to pass on his details in whatever is the accepted way...

And another guy, i think a Spaniard called Carlos who i believe specializes in museum reproductions. I have never met him but could probably find his website with bit if scratching around.

Last year we built a simple but comprehensive website for a local sculptor Santi. His work is absolutely brilliant and he works in just about every medium. Forum rules say i cant post his website URL here, but happy to pass on his details in whatever is the accepted way...

Thanks! I've sent you a private message (PM), so I hope you can reply...

Last year we built a simple but comprehensive website for a local sculptor Santi. His work is absolutely brilliant and he works in just about every medium. Forum rules say i cant post his website URL here, but happy to pass on his details in whatever is the accepted way...

It was easy enough to find Santi on google.com, with his name. Looks like a talented young man. I didn't see anything that looked like Khmer style, but I've contacted him anyway. Thanks for the lead. (I couldn't find Carlos, though.) Mostly I'm looking for a Khmer sculpture specialist, who would probably be Cambodian. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Last year we built a simple but comprehensive website for a local sculptor Santi. His work is absolutely brilliant and he works in just about every medium. Forum rules say i cant post his website URL here, but happy to pass on his details in whatever is the accepted way...

Would you PM me his web address please, thanks.

David

Last year we built a simple but comprehensive website for a local sculptor Santi. His work is absolutely brilliant and he works in just about every medium. Forum rules say i cant post his website URL here, but happy to pass on his details in whatever is the accepted way...

Would you PM me his web address please, thanks.

David

Thank you for your time to send me the web address.

David