US$999.00 All of the heads and hands we sell come from full saint figures that were originally acquired by individuals for inclusion in their homes' private shrines in Viet Nam. In almost every part of Asia it is customary for families to have a religious shrine in or right outside of their house. Since most people in Asia are Buddhist or some other non-christian religion, most shrines are Buddhist. However, Catholics have similar corresponding shrines. If a family is relatively poor their shrine - be it Buddhist or Catholic - will be a small corner of a room in their house. The wealthiest people have entire rooms devoted exclusively to their shrines in which case for Buddhists it's a temple in their house; for Catholics it's a chapel.Most people associate Catholicism in Viet Nam with the French colonial period, which is very much the case. However, Jesuits from all over Europe brought Catholicism to Asia 500 years before that. The Catholic tradition in Viet Nam and all the other Catholic populations of Asia is well established. The Catholic population of Vietnam is only about 8% of the total but that is about 7 million people. During certain periods of their history Catholics have been some of the most influential people in the country. One of the largest concentrations of Catholics in Viet Nam is in the province of Nam Dinh, a short distance south of Hanoi, on the coast. Although we are unable to trace the origin of all the saint hands and heads we have there is a high probability that they come from this area.The reason the hands and heads were separated from the bodies is that the bodies were made of other materials. the hands and heads are very finely carved of tropical hardwoods but often the...