Lacquered wooden Buddhas seen through family carpentry

The lacquered wooden Buddhas in the museum's lower levels are the part of the visit that feels most familiar. The family background described here includes a father and grandfather who both did a great deal of carpentry and furniture making. That familiarity with wood provides more vocabulary for appreciating these sculptures than for the paintings. Attention turns to the chisel work, fine detail, bending, shaping, and forming of the wood. The appreciation centres on the skill visible in the wooden figures; no specific carving technique or date is identified.