The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Head of Buddha

Head of Buddha

900s
(918–1392)
gilt bronze
Overall: 8.6 cm (3 3/8 in.)
Gift of Robert H. Ellsworth in honor of Sherman E. Lee 1985.190
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

A gentle smile crossing the Buddha's face here is a sign of compassion.

Description

While large Buddhist statues were made mostly in stone during the Goryeo period (918–1392), small ones were made in gilt bronze, as a portable object of devotion by traveling Buddhist monks.
  • ?–1985
    Robert H. Ellsworth [1929–2014], New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    December 18, 1985–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1985.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 73, no. 2, 1986, pp. 26–71. Mentioned: p. 71, no. 203 www.jstor.org
    Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
    Yim, Nam-su and Jeong Eun-woo. “Changes in Fashioning Small Gilt Bronze Buddhist Statues and their Techniques from the Late Goryeo to Early Joseon Periods [여말선초 소금동불의 유행과 제작기법의 변화]. Misul sahak (2010): 259-290. www.dbpia.co.kr
    Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
    Jeong, Eun-woo. “Buddhist Sculptures in Goryeo period and New Perspective [고려시대 불교조각 연구와 새로운 관점].” Bulgyo misulsahak (2019): 7-16. www.dbpia.co.kr
  • Korean Art: Images from the Land of the Morning Calm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 23, 1990-January 13, 1991).
  • {{cite web|title=Head of Buddha|url=false|author=|year=900s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.190