Head of a Buddha

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 1
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Creative Commons

At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1500
  • Geography

    Thailand
  • Material

    Bronze
  • Dimension

    H x W x D: 32.1 x 21.3 x 20.9 cm (12 5/8 x 8 3/8 x 8 1/4 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1909.50
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1909.50

Object Details

  • Label

    In 1909, Charles Lang Freer purchased this and three other bronze heads of the Buddha from the American Art Galleries in New York City (F1909.48-51). Remarkably different in style, the heads reveal the range of artistic possibilities within the strictures of a single iconographic form. The gentle face of this Buddha is serene and contemplative, emphasizing his meditative focus. His gaze is down and inward, and his lips smile subtly. The snail shell curls over his bulbous cranial protuberance (ushnisha), along with his pierced elongated ears, mark him as a Buddha. Thailand's Buddhist art is remarkable for the way the image of the Buddha transforms subtly across centuries of casting in bronze.
  • Provenance

    Unnamed Siamese official [1]
    To 1909
    Mr. Gadelius, to 1909 [2]
    From 1909 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased at sale, Collection of Siamese and Cambodian Antiquities, Curios and Relics, American Art Association, New York April 6, 1909 [3]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]
    Notes:
    [1] According to the object record for F1909.48, Curatorial Remark 5, H. E. Buckman, 1964, the Envelope File contained the following note by C. L. Freer, dated February 26, 1918: "Bronze head of Buddha, life sized. Brought to New York City by Mr. Gadelius during the winter of 1908-1909, and sold along with other Siamese and Cambodian objects, at the American Art Galleries, on April 6, 1909. Mr. Gadelius assured me that this head came from the ruins of Angkor Wat, Cambodia; and this statement appears in the catalogue of the sale. I attended the sale personally and purchased at the same time three other heads, S.I. 68 (F1909.49), 69 (F1909.50) and 70 (F1909.51)." According to Curatorial Remark 6, Louise Cort, February 18, 2002, "The catalogue of the sale of Siamese and Cambodian objects (6 April 1909) noted that they had been accumulated over a period of thirty-five years by a Siamese official."
    [2] See note 1.
    [3] See note 1. See also, Original Bronze List, S.I. 69, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
    [4] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Near Eastern Pottery and Persian Painting (May 2, 1923 to March 14, 1931)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Mr. Gadelius (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Thailand
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Sculpture
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

    This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

    The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring