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Head of Buddha

7th century
Not on view
Restituted
This artwork was restituted in December 2023. It is no longer in the museum’s collection.
This over-life-size head of the Buddha is a testament to the grandeur of the monumental sculptural tradition in the Zhenla kingdom. It was carved from a sandstone characteristic of southern Cambodia, which is consistent with its stylistic assignment to Angkor Borei or a related site. The Buddha has a strong, broad face; lightly modeled eyelids and pupils; and full lips that turn up at the corners in a hint of a smile. The hair curls, like those of other Buddhas from this period and region, are large and flat—a memory of the southern Indian style favored in the early period of contact.

Deaccessioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art for return to the Kingdom of Cambodia, 2023

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Head of Buddha
  • Period: pre-Angkor period
  • Date: 7th century
  • Culture: Southern Cambodia
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: H. 24 in. (61 cm); W. 13 in. (33 cm); D. 12 3/4 (32.4)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Doris Wiener, 2005
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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first quarter of the 10th century
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