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.

• Label

  Carved of dark gray limestone, this imposing Buddha head is characterized by a serene yet remote expression that is typical of early Tang dynasty religious images. Imperial patronage of Buddhism during the Tang dynasty, approximately seven hundred years after knowledge of Buddhism first reached China, resulted in the creation of some of the most impressive sculptures in Chinese history. For this Buddha head, all traces of Indian and Central Asian influence have been replaced by a native Chinese aesthetic. Sculptures of this style are found in the Longmen cave temples in Henan Province and may have been the source for this piece.

• 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

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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