Head of a Buddha

Object Details

• Description

  Carved head exists as a fragment with the back cut away and broken at the neck. Hair sits low on the forhead and has snail-shell shaped pattern. Proper left ear missing and proper right ear mostly gone. Downcast eyes, corpulent face with full cheeks and pursed mouth.

• Provenance

  ? - to 1965

  J.T. Tai & Co., New York, NY [1]

  1965-1977

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York, NY, purchased from J.T. Tai & Co., New York, NY [2]

  1977-1987

  The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, purchased from J.T. Tai & Co., New York, NY [3]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

  Notes:

  [1] The dealer number is YT 4498. See invoice from J.T. Tai & Co., dated March 24, 1965, copy in object file.

  [2] Dr. Arthur M. Sackler purchased this object from J.T. Tai & Co. in March 1965. He donated the object to the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation in December 1977.

  [3] See the paper documentation from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Pavilions and Immortal Mountains: Chinese Decorative Art and Paintings (September 28, 1987 to February 28, 1988)

• Previous custodian or owner

  J. T. Tai & Co. (established in 1950)

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

  Arthur M. Sackler Foundation (founded 1965)

• Origin

  Probably Longmen caves, Probably Henan province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

• Type

  Sculpture

• On View

  Sackler: Level 2 Staircase Corridor

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. 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

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  600s, 700s

• Name

  Sackler, Arthur M., Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, J. T. Tai & Co., buddha

• Place

  Longmen caves, China, Henan province

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Tang dynasty (618 - 907), Stone, Ushnisha

• Culture

  Buddhists, Chinese

• Object Type

  Sculpture

• On View

  Yes