Head
618 - 907, 670 - 730
618 - 907, 670 - 730
| Place of origin |
Finely carved head of a Buddha with traces of pigments. The face is smoothly carved with a meditative expression, the eyes cast down beneath arched eyebrows. A straight nose above curving lips and long, pendulous ears. The hair is carved with triple-spiralled curls.
The head bears stylistic features from a transitional period of Chinese Buddhist art at Longmen. South Asian features of the deity, such as the swirled strands of hair, the high-ridged nose and heavy eyelids still appear, yet the gently rounded face points to Tang-Chinese interests in the human form. Over the course of the period, artisans created Buddhist deities with increasing awareness of movements and soft flesh of the human body.
The head bears stylistic features from a transitional period of Chinese Buddhist art at Longmen. South Asian features of the deity, such as the swirled strands of hair, the high-ridged nose and heavy eyelids still appear, yet the gently rounded face points to Tang-Chinese interests in the human form. Over the course of the period, artisans created Buddhist deities with increasing awareness of movements and soft flesh of the human body.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved limestone with remains of colouring |
| Brief description | Figure of Buddha's head, China, Tang Dynasty (618-907), carved limestone with remains of pigment |
| Physical description | Carved head of a Buddha with remains of colouring. The face is smoothly carved with a meditative expression, the eyes cast down beneath arched eyebrows. A straight nose above curving lips and long, pendulous ears. The hair is carved with triple-spiralled curls. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Bought from S.M. Frank & Co. |
| Object history | Bought in 1920 from S.M. Frank & Co. for £50. |
| Summary | Finely carved head of a Buddha with traces of pigments. The face is smoothly carved with a meditative expression, the eyes cast down beneath arched eyebrows. A straight nose above curving lips and long, pendulous ears. The hair is carved with triple-spiralled curls. The head bears stylistic features from a transitional period of Chinese Buddhist art at Longmen. South Asian features of the deity, such as the swirled strands of hair, the high-ridged nose and heavy eyelids still appear, yet the gently rounded face points to Tang-Chinese interests in the human form. Over the course of the period, artisans created Buddhist deities with increasing awareness of movements and soft flesh of the human body. |
| Associated object | A.27-1914 (Depiction) |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Dispersed Statues of Longmen' 龍門流散雕像集 Longmen Liusan Diaoxiang Ji, no. 63 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.117-1920 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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