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Yotkan: Head of a Buddha
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Yotkan: Head of a Buddha
CHINA, Xinjiang, Hotan; 3rd century; Gilt bronze; H: 17 cm; Tokyo National Museum, Japan
This sculpture was discovered at Yotkan in Hotan during the Japanese Otani expeditions that took place between 1902 and 1910. The Buddha 's usnisa is treated like a topknot shaped by a buckled tie. Damage to the back of the head has revealed that the statue had an interior cavity, which may have been used to store relics. The forehead has been stamped with a lotus design, either in place of an urna or perhaps as a jewel fronting the drawn back hair. The face still bears traces of red paint and gilding, and is lightly mustached. The bottom of the neck has been blocked off, revealing that the head was cast separately from the body. |
