Buddha head thumbnail 1
Buddha head thumbnail 2
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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

Buddha head

Buddha Head
550-577 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Hebei (made)
Xiangtangshan (made)

Traces of pigment accentuate the eyebrows, eyes and mouth of this huge head. The hairstyle is typical of the historical Buddha Sakyamuni, with tight curls and the prominent usnisa or topknot. The mark on the forehead, expressing wisdom and openness, originally incorporated an impressive jewel. Once part of a monumental figure in a cave complex, the head would have looked down from high. Its symmetrical composition and serene expression would have inspired Buddhist followers standing below.


Object details

Categories
Buddhism
Sculpture
Stoneware
Object type
Buddha Head
TitleBuddha head (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved grey limestone with traces of pigment
Limestone
Carving
Brief description
Buddha head, carved grey limestone with traces of pigment, probably from Xiangtangshan, Hebei province, China, Northern Qi dynasty, 550-577.
Physical description
Large 3-dimensional rounded face/head of Buddha, fractured at the chin. There is colour visible on his lips, eyes and eyebrows, and his mouth is closed. His eyes look downwards. He has high arched brows, bobbled hair with an ushnisha (bun hairstyle). The eyebrows are curved in a butterfly shape, a Chinese sign of beauty, and the symmetrical composition and serene expression expresses Buddhist ideals - the renunciation of worldly desires and the attainment of enlightenment.
Dimensions
  • Height: 90cm
  • Width: 65cm
  • Depth: 40cm
  • Weight: 255kg (Note: incl. pallet and bracket)
Over 1m in diameter. Difficult to measure due to height at which it is currently hung.
Style
Northern Qi
Gallery label
  • Head of the Buddha 550–77 Northern Qi dynasty Xiangtangshan, Hebei, China Limestone with traces of coloured pigment Xiangtangshan is a vast temple complex hewn out of a mountainside by local rulers. This stone head was once part of a massive, full-bodied sculpture of the Buddha. Carved directly into the rock face, it would have towered above worshippers, inspiring awe and deep reverence. On the forehead is a hollow that originally contained an impressive jewel. Given by The Art Fund Museum no. A.98-1927(1/4/2009)
  • Head of the Buddha AD 550–577 Northern Qi dynasty This stone head was once part of a massive full-bodied sculpture from the Buddhist cave temple complex at Xiangtangshan in northern China. The figure was carved directly into the rock face and would have towered above worshippers inspiring awe and reverence. The idea of creating giant Buddha images originated in India and spread through Central Asia inspiring works such as the Bamiyan Buddhas. Xiangtangshan, Hebei Province, North China Limestone with traces of coloured pigment Given by the Art Fund Museum no. A.98-1927 北齐 加彩石佛首 （原置河北响堂山）(03/08/2015)
Credit line
Presented by Art Fund
Object history
Loaned to Burlington House Fair Exhibition Sept. 9-20, 1987, Royal Academy of Arts. A similar sculpture is A.27-1914, and there are also similar works at Philadelphia University and Cologne. It would have been part of an entire figure, and displayed high up.

Historical significance: This piece is probably from the Xiangtangshan cave complex in northern China, of which the sculptures were scattered across international collections in the early 20th century. A Project was established to create a digital reconstruction of what the cave complex would have looked like (see references).
Production
This is probably from the Xiangtangshan cave temples in Northern China.
Subject depicted
Buddha, Shakyamuni
Summary
Traces of pigment accentuate the eyebrows, eyes and mouth of this huge head. The hairstyle is typical of the historical Buddha Sakyamuni, with tight curls and the prominent usnisa or topknot. The mark on the forehead, expressing wisdom and openness, originally incorporated an impressive jewel. Once part of a monumental figure in a cave complex, the head would have looked down from high. Its symmetrical composition and serene expression would have inspired Buddhist followers standing below.
Bibliographic references
  • Clarke, John: Arts of Asia, vol. 45, no. 5, September - October 2015, "The Buddha image in Asia: Phase One of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Galleries of Buddhist Art", p.122, pl. 16.
  • Clarke, John: Buddhist Sculpture, p. 42 Orientations; vol. 40. no. 4; May 2009; The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum.
  • Project to create a digital reconstruction of what the cave complex would have looked like: http://web.archive.org/web/20230117114544/https://xiangtangshan.uchicago.edu/introduction/
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
A.98-1927

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Record createdNovember 16, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O129249/buddha-head-buddha-head-unknown/
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