A Serendipitous "Email" Introduction

When Peter said in one of his email, "It is unlike anything else in Europe", I was intrigued and took a casual exploration of the gallery's website, OriginalBuddhas.com. I found myself captivated by the collection: over a thousand authentic antique Buddha statues, each with its own story, its own history, its own spirit.



The site spoke of a gallery housed in a former church in Deventer, of a collection personally selected during months of travel through Asia each year, and of a commitment to authenticity, fair trade, and education. I knew I had to learn more.


The Original Buddhas gallery is housed in a former church in Deventer, The Netherlands

An Exchange of Letters

I reached out to Peter, expecting little more than a standard reply. Instead, I received a personal correspondence that unfolded over several days, an exchange of questions and reflections, of shared enthusiasm and quiet wisdom, that left me feeling as though I had been given a private tour of the gallery by its founder.

In our emails, Peter told me the story of how Original Buddhas came to be. His connection to Asia began in his youth. At just nineteen, he lived for about a year in the small village of Nangi in Nepal.


Founder of Original Buddhas, Peter Vredeveld with one of his golden Buddha image from Myanmar

That experience, he wrote, "changed everything." Immersed in the daily rhythms of a traditional Himalayan community, surrounded by temples, stupas, and the quiet presence of Buddhist practice, he developed a lifelong bond with the region and its spiritual heritage.

From around 1999 onwards, he began spending significant time in Myanmar, and it was there that his interest in old Buddha statues deepened into something approaching devotion. He became fascinated not only by their beauty but by their history, their periods, and the distinct regional styles that give each sculpture its unique character.



What began as a personal passion gradually became his profession, Original Buddhas was founded more than twenty-five years ago as a natural extension of this love.



A Collection of Rare Depth

Through our correspondence and my exploration of the website, I came to appreciate the breadth and quality of the collection. Myanmar is one of the strongest areas, with magnificent pieces from Mandalay and Ava, as well as earlier Burmese works that are increasingly difficult to find.



The gallery also holds important sculptures from Thailand, including exquisite Sukhothai and Ayutthaya Buddhas, as well as Nepalese Newar bronzes and Tibetan Buddhist figures. Most pieces are unique, one-of-a-kind works that have survived centuries and carry within them the accumulated resonance of time and devotion.

What distinguishes Original Buddhas, Peter explained, is not simply the quality of the objects but the philosophy behind their presentation.



The gallery is committed to educating visitors about the meaning and background of each statue, its mudras, its postures, its iconography, its period, and its regional style. The statues are not presented as decorative objects but as cultural and spiritual documents that reveal the beliefs, artistry, and history of the civilizations that created them.


Sustaining a Vision

I asked Peter how he sustains this work, and his answer was refreshingly candid. Original Buddhas is a commercial gallery, sustained primarily through the sale of antique sculptures, both from the Deventer gallery and through its website.

This commercial foundation allows Peter to continue sourcing, researching, photographing, and documenting the collection. The gallery's commitment to fair trade and its guarantee of authenticity are central to its ethical framework, ensuring that the trade in these cultural treasures is conducted with integrity and respect.

A Pilgrimage Deferred, A Connection Made

Though I have not yet stood beneath the soaring ceilings of that former church in Deventer, nor seen with my own eyes the soft light filtering through its windows onto centuries-old bronzes and carvings, I feel as though I have been given a rare gift.



Peter's generosity in sharing his time and knowledge through our emails has deepened my understanding of Buddhist art and strengthened my resolve to one day make the journey to Deventer in person.

In a world where Buddhist art is too often reduced to mere décor or investment asset, Original Buddhas stands as a light of scholarship and reverence. Peter Vredeveld has created not just a gallery, but a place of pilgrimage in Europe for those who love and respect the Buddhist traditions of Asia, a place I hope to visit soon, and a correspondence I will always treasure.

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For those who wish to explore this remarkable collection, I encourage you to visit OriginalBuddhas.com or, better still, to reach out to Peter directly (Email: Peter Vredeveld ). You may find, as I did, that a simple email can open a door to something truly extraordinary.

Kooi F. Lim is the Managing Editor of The Buddhist Channel. If you have any interesting Buddhist news to share, you can reach out to him at editor@buddhistchannel.tv