Head of Buddha

CultureChinese

DateTang dynasty (618-906 C.E.)

MediumGray limestone with oolites

DimensionsOverall: 18 1/2 × 7 × 8 inches (46.99 × 17.78 × 20.32 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number31-130/18

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

East Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionFull faced Buddha. The head and high ushnisha are covered with snail-shell curls. Full cheeks, wide-spread nostrils, a flower-like mouth, forehead bulges over each eye, and long slit ears. There are three creases in the neck.Provenance

Provenance

Yamanaka & Co. New York;

Purchased from Yamanaka & Co. by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, in 1931.

Provenance

With H. Toriyama, Hiranomachi, Osaka, Japan, by December 5, 1912;

Purchased from H. Toriyama by Yamanaka & Co., Osaka, Japan, December 5, 1912-1931 [1];

Purchased from Yamanaka & Co. by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1931.

NOTES:

[1] "Kansas City - Itemized Purchases in China and Japan, 1932," no. B-20, Harvard Pusey Library, Langdon Warner Personal Archive, box 15, folder 28, copy in Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.

Published References

Alice Thorson. Lights on for Chinese sculpture, Kansas City Star, September 26, 2004 (repro.).

Chinese Buddhist sculptures see new light. Kansas City Star, October 24, 2004 (repro.).

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Member Magazine. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008). Fall 2005, p. 12 (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.