No takers for Lladro’s Mother Teresa figurine in Kolkata

Earlier this month, Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint of the Catholic Church in front of thousands of visitors at St Peter's Square.

While the world hailed her canonisation, luxury Spanish brand Lladro, which specialises in porcelain figurines,was surprised to find tepid response to its new collection `Mother Teresa of Calcutta' in the city that the nun had made her home for more than half a century.

Lladro's India COO Nikhil Lamba said he had shipped about 10 pieces of the sculpture to India, which were to be retailed in its eight boutique stores spread across various metros.

Priced at Rs 40,000 and about 12 inches tall, three pieces were sent to the Kolkata outlet. “We had given more pieces to Kolkata, but surprisingly they didn't sell that much there, considering it's a Mother Teresa of Calcutta figurine“ he said of the initial response. “In fact, one piece was transferred from Kolkata to the Bangalore store for sale,“ he said, adding that the rest of the units flew off the shelf in other centres.


Lladro India's Nikhil Lamba (Image: BCCL)

“There were enough phone calls and queries about the figurine when we launched. The store staff was continuously asking me about when more pieces will come in,“ Lamba said, adding, “ We had bookings for another 11 pieces, which arrived on September 15.“