Cleveland Museum of Art

Head of Buddha

Date

c. 570

Medium

limestone

Culture

China, Hebei province, northern Xiangtangshan caves, South cave, Northern Qi dynasty (550-577)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

At the Xiangtangshan Buddhist sites in Hebei province, cave-temple construction and image making were supported by the Northern Qi imperial court and nobility. Under the constant shadow of political uncertainty and the theory of the "Law of the Decadence" (or mofa , the deterioration of the True Law after the historical Buddha’s attainment of nirvana), the Buddhist faith was embraced as the ideal for rulership. The Buddha’s smile offers reassurance and consolation. This colossal Buddha head is from the Northern Xiangtangshan's South Cave, which is shaped like a stupa with a domed roof and a porch in front.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.