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Head of Buddha

Late 8th-9th century

Thailand

Stucco

H. 6 x W. 4 3/4 x D. 3 3/4 in. (15.2 x 12.07 x 9.53 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.78

Provenance

John D. Rockefeller 3rd, New York, NY; acquired from Spink & Son Ltd., London, July 1962.

The Asia Society, New York, NY, bequest of John D. Rockefeller 3rd, New York, NY, 1979.

Licensing inquiries

The snail shell-shaped curls and the remains of a bump on the top of the head indicate that this face is that of a Buddha. The Mon artist who created this piece interpreted the ideal of perfected beauty quite differently from the Indian artists who first created the Buddha image. The Mon Buddha has a wide, full mouth, high cheekbones, and a prominent, uninterrupted eyebrow ridge. The latter is seen as sign of beauty in Mon culture and uninterrupted eyebrows appear on all the Mon Buddhas in the Asia Society Collection. The back of this head is unfinished and it is likely that it was once attached to the side of a wood or brick building as architectural decoration. Similar works are known to have been used in friezes narrating the life of the Buddha and other Buddhist tales.