Art Institute of Chicago

Buddha Head

Afghanistan or Pakistan

Date

3rd - 5th century

Medium

Stucco with traces of pigment

Culture

Gandhara

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This Buddha head is made from stucco, a type of plaster that can be either pressed into molds for mass production or built up in layers and hand-modeled to create individualized details. Here the Buddha has standard features for the ancient region of Gandhara (present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan) such as deep-set half-lidded eyes, a serene smile, and the topknot-covered bump ( ushnisha ) on the crown of his head that represents overflowing wisdom. The head would have been painted, as indicated by the remnants of black pigment outlining the eyes and lips, and attached to a robed body, either standing or seated in meditation. The sculpture likely decorated a dome-shaped funerary monument ( stupa ) within a Buddhist monastic complex.

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