Cambodia
Head of Buddha, 11th-12th century
Not on view
Buff sandstone
Dimensions11 × 16 1/4 in. (27.9 × 41.3 cm)
Gift of Miss Carol Churchill Pierson, 2005.199
The distinctive features of this Buddha head—the slight smile and pronounced brow bone—are typical of sculpture created during the Angkor period in Cambodia. This head also displays a cranial bump or ushnisha, a standard characteristic that represents the Buddha's perfected and godlike nature. The ushnisha is not simply a tuft of hair but is meant to be an actual extrusion of the skull that represents highly developed intelligence.
