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.
Provenance
Robert H. Ellsworth [1929–2014], New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1984); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1984–)
Accession Number
1984.220
Medium
red sandstone
Dimensions
Overall: 50.8 x 25.4 cm (20 x 10 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
Gift of Robert H. Ellsworth in memory of Christian Humann