Head of Buddha | Harvard Art Museums

Gallery Text

This magnificently carved head bears all the physical attributes of a Buddha: snail-shell curls representing closely shorn hair of a tonsured man; a cranial protuber-ance (ushnisha) rising from the top of the head, indicating his vast wisdom; a circular dot (urna) representing a tuft of hair between his brows; and earlobes elongated by heavy earrings, alluding to his origins as a prince in Lumbini, present-day Nepal. The elegantly arched brows, straight nose, and full lips evoke the influential art of the Gupta Empire, which ruled a large portion of the Indian subcontinent from the fourth to sixth centuries.

The figure’s broad forehead, rounded face, delicate smile, and smooth facial contours chiseled from a porous stone recall the Buddha sculptures at Borobudur—a monumental esoteric Buddhist temple complex in central Java that once held 504 Buddha statues. More than 300 are now damaged; many of the statues are missing heads, like this one collected in the 1930s. A rectangular appendage that extends from the back of the head and neck suggests this work came from an architectural context, like the niches on the lower levels of the structure, rather than from the freestanding Buddhas in the stupas on the upper levels.

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 2015.17
Title: Head of Buddha
Classification: Sculpture
Work Type: sculpture, head
Date: 9th century
Places: Creation Place: Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Java
Culture: Javanese
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/352933

Location

Location: Level 2, Room 2460, East Arcade

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Physical Descriptions

Medium: Volcanic stone; from central Java, likely from Borobudur
Dimensions: head only: 39.9 x 24.1 x 31.8 cm (15 11/16 x 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 in.)
with stand: 59.7 x 24.1 x 31.8 cm (23 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 in.)
138 lb.

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: [Kunstzalen A. Vecht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, (by 1932)], sold; to Private Collection, New York, (1932-1960's or 1970's). Robert Ellsworth, New York, (by 1980-2015), sold; through [Christies, New York,The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part I, March 17, 2015, lot 23], to: Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky, Cambridge, MA (2015), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2015.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky in honor of Robert D. Mowry
Accession Year: 2015
Object Number: 2015.17
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Publication History

Annette Juliano, "Robert H. Ellsworth Treasures the East", Architectural Digest (October 1985), pp. 102-110, illustrated p. 102
Anita Christy, "Not for Sale: A Few of Robert Ellsworth's Favourite Possessions", Orientations (June 1991), vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 56-62, pp. 58-59, fig. 5
The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part I--Masterworks: Including Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, auct. cat., Christie's, New York (New York, March 17, 2015), pp. 156-157, lot 23

Exhibition History

32Q: 2460 East Arcade, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/20/2016 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

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2015.17: Head of Buddha