English
Silk Road Collection
Central Asia

Statue of the Head of a Buddha

  • Central Asia
  • The Kingdom of Yutian, China
  • from the 3rd to the 5th centuries AD
  • gold-plated bronze
  • 13.5cm in height

This is a race piece reminischent of the earliest Gandhara Buddha's face, and the Buddha statues excavated from the Swat region adjacent to the north. It features hair tied at the top of the head, a mustache, open eyes, gently arching eyebrows, and a small mouth. While it is said to be an item brought by the Otani expedition team from Hotan, there is no record to indicate the actual excavation site. A part of the halo, integrally casted with the top of the head and side, remains.