Head of a Naga-Protected Buddha
c. 12th century
Description
Fragmentary sculpture depicting the head and partial mandorla of a Buddha. He wears a patterned crown, surrounding a conical patterned ushnisha. He has elongated earlobes, one of which is broken, and has lined lips and eyes. The mandorla is a hood formed by seven nagas (serpents), and the heads of four survive. The fronts of the nagas are decorated with a wave pattern and each have an image of a sun. The backs of the nagas are covered in scales and decorated with a larger sun near the head. There is a single large sun medallion at the base.
Dimensions
H. 19 × W. 13 cm (7 1/2 × 5 1/8 in.)
Provenance
Charles D. Kelekian, New York (by 1935-1982), by descent; to Nanette Rodney Kelekian, New York (1982-2021), bequest; to the Harvard Art Museums.
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