Head of Buddha, made of bronze cast in section moulds, covered with a layer of kaolin and painted with coloured pigments. Layers of linen-fibre paper applied later as a new ground for redecoration, China, possibly Ming dyansty, 1368-1644.

This head from what must have been an enormous statue has been cast in thin bronze sections. The bronze is an alloy of copper, iron, tin and lead. The presence of the iron has led to small patches of rust being seen on its surface. Over the top of the bronze was laid a layer of kaolin as a ground for bright, life-like pigments used to paint the surface. This painted layer was subsequently overlaid with paper, used to repair the flaking surface of the statue and to prepare it for redecoration. It may be significant that the paper used here is made from linenfibre, for this type of paper ceased to be used in China in many areas after the Song dynasty (960-1279). It therefore seems that the repair was an early one. Over the paper repair layer was laid a further kaolin ground, which was then painted. Conservation of the head has cleaned back to the original pigmented surface, a good amount of which is still preserved. Small areas of the paper repair and secondary painted layer have been left as a record.

Given by Mr Oswald T. Falk, through The Art Fund

This bronze Buddha head is over one metre high and is all that remains of an enormous statue. Such an image would have been very expensive to produce and must surely have come from an important temple.

The head was cast in sections, and such was the skill of the sculptors, despite the size and a weight of around 100 kilos, it is hollow and the metal itself is only three millimetres thick. The sections are so thin and fine that details like the lips and eyes can be traced in hollow relief inside. The bronze mixture used is a most unusual alloy of copper, iron, tin and lead.

M.3-1936