On view
Asian Art
Huo Pavilion
Huo Pavilion
Stone head of buddha,
ca. 700
Chinese
Tang dynasty, 618–907
2008-48
This fragment of a Buddhist statue comes from the Longmen caves of eastern China’s Henan province. The head captures a transitional moment in Chinese Buddhist art. The Indian origins of the deity are still visible in the swirled strands of hair, high-ridged nose, and heavy eyelids, but the gently rounded face represents a new artistic development of the Tang dynasty. During the Tang, sculptors also began to depict Buddhist deities with a greater sensitivity to the movements and soft flesh of the human body. The physiognomy of the sculpted head humanizes the buddha while maintaining his elevated status, heightening the sense of connection between the viewer and the divine.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Stone head of buddha
Dates
ca. 700
Medium
Limestone with traces of pigment
Dimensions
h. 39.4 cm., w. 21.2 cm., d. 22.0 cm. (15 1/2 x 8 3/8 x 8 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund
Object Number
2008-48
Place Collected
Asia, China, Henan province
Culture
Period
Subject
–By 1925 Dikran Kelekian (New York, NY).
–ca. 1950 Rudolf Bing (New York, NY).
–2008 Heirs of Rudolf Bing (US), to J. J. Lally & Co. (New York, NY), 2008.
2008–2008 J. J. Lally & Co. (New York, NY), sold to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2008.
