Head of a Buddha

Historical period(s)
Lan Na period, ca. 1500
Medium
Bronze with traces of gilding
Dimensions
H x W x D: 31.7 x 21.6 x 20.8 cm (12 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 8 3/16 in)
Geography
Thailand
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1909.48
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Sculpture
Type

Figure: Buddha (fragment)

Keywords
Buddha, Buddhism, Lan Na period (1251 - 1774), Thailand, ushnisha
Provenance

Unnamed Siamese official [1]

To 1909
Mr. Gadelius, to 1909 [2]

From 1909 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased at the sale of Siamese and Cambodian Collection, American Art Association, New York April 6, 1909 [3]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Remark 5, H. E. Buckman, 1964, in the object record, the Envelope File contained the following note by C. L. Freer, dated February 26, 1918: "Bronze head of Buddha, life sized. Brought to New York City by Mr. Gadelius during the winter of 1908-1909, and sold along with other Siamese and Cambodian objects, at the American Art Galleries, on April 6, 1909. Mr. Gadelius assured me that this head came from the ruins of Angkor Wat, Cambodia; and this statement appears in the catalogue of the sale. I attended the sale personally and purchased at the same time three other heads, S.I. 68 (F1909.49), 69 (F1909.50) and 70 (F1909.51)." According to Curatorial Remark 6, Louise Cort, February 18, 2002, "The catalogue of the sale of Siamese and Cambodian objects (6 April 1909) noted that they had been accumulated over a period of thirty-five years by a Siamese official."

[2] See note 1.

[3] See note 1. See also, Original Bronze List, S.I. 67, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[4] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Mr. Gadelius (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

In 1909, Charles Lang Freer purchased this and three other bronze heads of the Buddha from the American Art Galleries in New York City (F1909.48-51). Remarkably different in style, the heads reveal the range of artistic possibilities within the strictures of a single iconographic form. Here, the Buddha's face appears supple with gently undulating curves. The rich brown surface retains flecks of gilding, especially in the folds of the ear and coiled hair. The eyes are heavy-lidded, their downward gaze finding an echo in the upturned mouth. The chin is full and the pierced ears flare slightly to the sides. Taken together, these features suggest a date of around 1500, within Thailand's Lan Na period (14th--15th century). Thailand's Buddhist art is remarkable for the way the image of the Buddha transforms subtly across centuries of casting in bronze.

Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
F|S Southeast Asia
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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