The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Head of a Bodhisattva

Head of a Bodhisattva

75–early 100s CE
red sandstone
Overall: 50.8 x 25.4 cm (20 x 10 in.)
Gift of Robert H. Ellsworth in memory of Christian Humann 1984.220
Location: 242A Ancient India

Description

This monumental male head must have originally belonged to a larger-than-life Bodhisattva image. The imposing turban is of the type worn by royalty, divinities, and nobility during the Kushan period from the first through third century. The round, fleshy face, heightened by a subtle smile, retains the powerful quality of early Kushan and pre-Kushan images of nature divinities, known as yakshas.
  • ?–1984
    Robert H. Ellsworth [1929–2014], New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1984–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1984." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 2 (1985): 163-207. Mentioned and Reproduced: no. 162, p. 206 www.jstor.org
    Pal, Pratapaditya. The Sensuous Immortals: A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1977. Mentioned and Reproduced: fig. 3
    Heeramaneck, Alice N. Masterpieces of Indian Sculpture: From the Former Collections of Nasli M. Heeramaneck, Introduction and Descriptive Catalogue. [Place of publication not identified]: A.N. Heeramaneck, 1979. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 25
    Czuma, Stanislaw J., and Rekha Morris. Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1985. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 20, p. 80
  • Buddha. Tobu Museum of Art (April 11-June 28, 1998); Nara National Museum (July 11-August 30, 1998); Nagoya City Art Museum (September 9-October 11, 1998).
    Buddha in India. Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (organizer) (April 2-July 16, 1995).
    Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 13, 1985-January 5, 1986).
    The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986).
    Year in Review for 1984. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 3-May 5, 1985).
  • {{cite web|title=Head of a Bodhisattva|url=false|author=|year=75–early 100s CE|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1984.220