Head of a Buddha

mid 9th - 10th century

On View

Buddhist Art, Level 1, North Wing

Head of a Buddha: 1 of Collection Gallery

Head of a Buddha: 2 of Collection Gallery

Head of a Buddha: 3 of Collection Gallery

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

This twice-life-size head was probably part of a colossal seated Buddha enshrined in a temple. Even as a fragment, this head projects an aura of great psychological and spiritual power. The angular face with deeply incised horizontal eyes and crescent-shaped brows are distinguishing Korean stylistic features within the international style of Buddhist art. These features combine with the soft naturalistic rendering of the nose and mouth to create a sense of transcendent yet approachable authority.

Title Head of a Buddha

Artwork Date mid 9th - 10th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Korean

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Cast iron

Dimensions Overall: 22 1/2 × 16 1/2 × 15 1/2 inches, 90 pounds (57.2 × 41.9 × 39.4 cm, 40.8 kg)

Classification Sculpture

Department Asian Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase with funds from anonymous bequest, the Joseph H. Boyer Memorial Fund, Macauley Fund, K. T. Keller Fund, G. Albert Lyon Foundation Fund, L. A. Young Fund, funds from anonymous donor, Michigan Bell an Ameritech Company, Dr. and Mrs. Chan Kee Park, Simeon H. Stoddard, Mrs. Charles M. Endicott, anonymous donor, Lee and Tina Hills, Dr. and Mrs. Kyung Soo Kim, Dr. and Mrs. Byung Soon Lee, Detroit Edison Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Souris, Mr. and Mrs. Karel Bass, the Mr. and Mrs. Walter Buhl Ford II Fund, Dr. and Mrs. John Balian, Mr. and Mrs. Phillip L. Bittker, Gerald W. Chamberlin Foundation, Inc., Hilda R. Ettenheimer, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Feldman, Thomas G. Jordan, Mr. and Mrs. Alan M. Kiriluk, Larson Family Foundation, Dr. and Mrs. Kyung Woong Moon, Mr. and Mrs. Morton L. Scholnick, Alan and Marianne Schwartz, The Stroh Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Taubman, Mrs. Charles C. Andrews, Mrs. George M. Endicott, Howard and Marion Gifford, Dr. and Mrs. Reginald Harnett, Dr. and Mrs. Kim K. Lie, Hon. and Mrs. Joseph M. Impastato, Mr. and Mrs. Peter W. Stroh, and other contributors

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1988.1

Markings

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Provenance

(Mayuyama and Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan);
1988-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

DeGrace, Maragaret. “This Month’s Cover: Head of Buddha.” Detroit Athletic Club News, April 1988, pp. 4-5.

Best, Jonathan W. “Object of the Month: Unified Silla Period Cast iron Buddha Head at the Detroit Institute of Arts.” Orientations 19, no. 9 (September 1988): pp. 54-55.

Bulletin of the DIA 64, no. 2/3 (1988): cover (ill.).

Best, Jonathan W. "An early Korean cast-iron Head of Buddha." Bulletin of the DIA 65, no. 4 (1990): pp. 12-25, 12-13 (figs. 1-2).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Korean, Head of Buddha, 9th century, cast iron. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from an anonymous bequest, the Joseph H. Boyer Memorial Fund, et al., 1988.1.