Lladró has collaborated with sculptor Arun Yogiraj to release limited edition Ram Lalla sculptures

Twenty-five years since it first launched its Spirit of India collection, Lladró, the Spanish luxury porcelain house has collaborated with Indian sculptor Arun Yogiraj, marking this their first collaboration with an Indian artist. The brand has unveiled a limited edition High Porcelain sculpture of Ram Lalla. 

“This collaboration, which combines Indian spirit and heritage with Spanish artistry is a coming together of patience, devotion and craft,” says Arun, the Mysuru-based artist who came into prominence after sculpting the Ram Lalla idol, which depicts a five-year-old Lord Ram, for the Ayodhya temple. 

Launched in 2000, the Spirit of India collection began with Lord Ganesha and has since launched several limited-edition idols inspired by Hindu mythology. 

Arun’s collaborative process with Lladró began in 2024 when the brand reached out to him, and he spent nearly a year working on this launch. “While the sculpture carved out of stone in Ayodhya is seven feet, we had to work on making an idol here that was one-and-a-half-feet tall. I was not very aware of how to work with porcelain as well, and learnt through this process that the material is fired at high temperatures to give it strength and ensure it is long lasting, with a luminous finish. The entire process took several months and combined the essence of two traditions into one work of art,” Arun explains. 

The porcelain Ram Lalla created by Arun Yogiraj and Lladró,
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

This also involved a trip to Lladró’s workshop in Valencia, Spain, where Arun worked with the sculptors there led by the brand’s master sculptor Raúl Rubio. Each piece took over 20 days of handcrafting to complete, and Arun says he was in awe of the passion, craftsmanship and experience he witnessed at work. “For instance, the garland in each idol has 500 individual porcelain flowers made entirely by hand. Each individual artist having different skill sets came together for this, and I had the opportunity to share my experience and knowledge as well,” he says. 

Reflecting on 25 years of the Spirit of India collection, Nieves Contrares, Lladró’s creative director says that it was natural for them to launch in the Indian market with a collection that blended spirituality, culture, and craftsmanship. “The iconography of Indian sculptures; all the colours and the jewels are very interesting to work with on porcelain because it is a material that allows so many possibilities in terms of shapes, colours and finishing,” she explains.  

India is currently Lladró’s third largest market globally, and 499 units form a part of this limited-edition collaboration, significant for collectors both in India and across the world.

The limited-edition Ram Lalla sculpture is priced at ₹12,50,000 and is available at Lladró’s boutiques across the country.