Head of Buddha Shakyamuni
c. 150
Asia: India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura
On View

This sculpture is marked by its large, arresting eyes. Images of gods, royalty and individuals were not common in ancient India; more common were sculptures of guardian figures or anthropomorphized nature spirits called Yakshas (male) and Yakshis (female). For this reason, early images of the Buddha are characterized by their bulging eyes, modeled after the fierce, protective gazes of Yaksha sculptures. Characteristic of early Buddha images from Mathura, the treatment of this Buddha’s ushnisha resembles a topknot, perhaps influenced by long-haired yogis.

Details

  • Title: Head of Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Date: c. 150
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: 8-3/4 in. (22.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
  • Accession Number: M.1977.30.06.S
  • Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation

Object Information

Where Art Meets Science: Ancient Sculpture from the Hindu-Buddhist World

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2011-04-22 to 2011-08-01
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 42 p. 78
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1473 p. 410

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