Head of a Male Divinity
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The identity of this divinity is uncertain. While the distinctive conical diadem is characteristic of Vaishnava iconography, the third eye evokes Shiva. The figure likely occupied a heavenly sphere populated by Brahmanical deities, cast in a role submissive to the Buddha’s Law. Perhaps it related to a jataka story in which a bodhisattva appeared in a former life as a Shaiva hermit. This face was molded, probably from a fired-clay matrix used for other figures in the same decorative program at Phra Pathom Chedi.
cat. no. 150
cat. no. 150
Artwork Details
- Title: Head of a Male Divinity
- Date: 8th century
- Culture: Central Thailand
- Medium: Stucco
- Dimensions: H. 6 3/4 in. (17 cm); W. 5 1/8 in. (13 cm); D. 3 1/8 in. (8 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by National Museum, Bangkok (Y4, 59[2/6])
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art