Head of Buddha thumbnail 1
Head of Buddha thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Buddhism, Room 47f, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Galleries of Buddhist Art

Head of Buddha

Sculpture
13th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Lopburi, Thailand (Made)

The expressive features of this face reflect the influence of the last phase of the Khmer style of Angkor, the Khmer capital. Throughout the 11th and 12th centuries, when Thailand formed part of the Khmer Empire, Lopburi was a chief seat of Khmer power. Cambodian influences continued to be felt there even after its political domination was broken early in the 13th century.


Object details

Categories
Buddhism
Sculpture
Object type
Sculpture
TitleHead of Buddha (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Buff coloured sandstone
Brief description
Head of the Buddha, Sandstone, Lopburi, Thailand, 13th century.
Physical description
Head of the Buddha with three tier ushnisha with sharply defined mouth, almost closing eyes with eyebrows. Slightly damaged elongated ears.
Dimensions
  • Height: 119cm
  • Width: 58cm
  • Depth: 30cm
  • Weight: 290kg
Gallery label
  • Head of the Buddha 1200–1300 Lopburi, Thailand Sandstone The style of this serene face, with its full lips and almost closed eyes, is based on the last phase of Khmer art, from the Khmer capital of Angkor in Cambodia. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Thailand had been part of the Khmer empire, and Cambodian artistic influences remained important in the 13th century. Museum no. IM.62-1927 1200–1300(1/4/2009)
  • Head of the Buddha 1200–1300 The style of this serene face with its full lips and almost closed eyes is based on the last phase of Khmer art from the Khmer capital of Angkor in Cambodia. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Thailand had been part of the Khmer empire. By the time this Buddha was created, Thailand had freed itself from the Khmer, but Cambodian art remained influential. Lopburi, Thailand Sandstone Museum no. IM.62-1927(03/08/2015)
Object history
Purchased from Mr E J Sebastian
This head, part of a large scale image, was excavated in 1924 on the site of Wat Mahathat at Lopburi to the north of Bangkok, Siam.
This sculpture reflects the emergence of a distinct Thai style Lopburi in the 13th century. It is clearly based on Khmer conventions, particularly those of the Bayon, the late 12th century monument at Angkor which set the style for the last phase of Khmer art.
Production
Lopburi, Thailand.
Subject depicted
Buddhism
Summary
The expressive features of this face reflect the influence of the last phase of the Khmer style of Angkor, the Khmer capital. Throughout the 11th and 12th centuries, when Thailand formed part of the Khmer Empire, Lopburi was a chief seat of Khmer power. Cambodian influences continued to be felt there even after its political domination was broken early in the 13th century.
Bibliographic reference
R. Lemay, A concise History of Buddhist Art in Siam, 1938 pl. .84.
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IM.62-1927

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJuly 17, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O82514/head-of-buddha-sculpture-unknown/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest