The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Head of Jina

c. 150–75 CE

India, Mathura, Kushan period

red mottled sandstone
Overall: 21.6 x 18.3 cm (8 1/2 x 7 3/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1962.47
Location: 242B Indian Painting

Description

The short rows of hair show the new growth after this figure pulled out every lock by hand. Such a radical act demonstrated renunciation from a society that dictated the wearing of long hair to be covered by a turban. Since there is no protrusion at the top of the head, he can be recognized as a Jina, rather than a Buddha or other holy man. His slight smile and placid alert gaze communicate the power, bliss, and wisdom of one who has reached a state of pure knowing and liberation from delusions.
  • ?–1962
    (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1962–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review 1962.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 49, no. 9, 1962, pp. 199–227. Mentioned and Reproduced: no. 63, p. 224 25151915
    Czuma, Stanislaw. “Mathura Sculpture in the Cleveland Museum Collection.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 64, no. 3, 1977, pp. 83–114. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 99, fig. 27 25152680
    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. 4, p. 54
  • Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 13, 1985-January 5, 1986).
  • {{cite web|title=Head of Jina|url=false|author=|year=c. 150–75 CE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.47