Head of a Naga-Protected Buddha
c. 12th century
Description
Fragmentary sculpture depicting the head and partial mandorla of a Buddha. He wears a patterned crown, surrounding a conical patterned ushnisha. He has elongated earlobes, one of which is broken, and has lined lips and eyes. The mandorla is a hood formed by seven nagas (serpents), and the heads of four survive. The fronts of the nagas are decorated with a wave pattern and each have an image of a sun. The backs of the nagas are covered in scales and decorated with a larger sun near the head. There is a single large sun medallion at the base.
Dimensions
H. 19 × W. 13 cm (7 1/2 × 5 1/8 in.)
Provenance
Charles D. Kelekian, New York (by 1935-1982), by descent; to Nanette Rodney Kelekian, New York (1982-2021), bequest; to the Harvard Art Museums.
Related Artworks
View MoreHammered, assembled, welded, and highly polished stainless steel; edition 3/8; with incised signature of the artist (in Chinese) on the back reading "Zhan Wang 2001 3/8"
21st centuryChinesePlaster
19th centuryItalianLimestone, biomicrite
13th centuryFrenchPlaster
19th centuryItalianUnfired clay
1st century BCE-3rd century CEIndianPolychromed stone
13th-14th centuryFrenchLead-glazed ware: molded, white earthenware with traces of straw-yellow, lead-fluxed glaze, and cold-painted pigments
6th-7th centuryChineseTerracotta, mold-made
5th century BCEGreek
Bronze
20th centuryFrenchPlaster
19th centuryAmericanPlaster
19th centuryItalianLead-glazed ware: molded, buff earthenware with medium-green, lead-fluxed glaze; cold-painted pigments over localized unglazed areas
6th-7th centuryChinese