Unknown
Head of Buddha Shakyamunicirca 150-200

On view:

Geffen Galleries, floor 3

Fragmentary terracotta-red stone sculpture of a human head, frontal view, with almond-shaped eyes, full lips, and a bald dome, mounted on a small dark metal pedestal

Sandstone sculptural head with a smooth, rounded cranium, downcast eyes, and gently carved facial features; weathered warm reddish-tan surface with areas of surface loss, displayed against a black background.

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Head of Buddha Shakyamuni
Place Made: India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura
Date Made: circa 150-200
Medium: Mottled red sandstone
Dimensions: 14 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. (36.19 x 31.75 x 34.29 cm)
Credit Line: From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase
Accession Number: M.69.13.9
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: Staring straight at the viewer, this powerfully rendered head once belonged to an over life-size representation of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (traditionally dated to 563–483 BCE). His birth name was Siddhartha Gautama. He was born a prince in Lumbini, Nepal, but renounced his royal life to live as a wandering ascetic. After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Bihar, he was given the title, Buddha Shakyamuni (The Awakened One, Sage of the Shakya clan). He presented his First Sermon at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, and then traveled for more than four decades throughout northern India teaching and establishing a monastic order with monks and nuns. He reached his final enlightenment (mahaparinirvana) when he died in Kushinagara, Uttar Pradesh.

The Buddha is portrayed with a now-damaged cranial protuberance that was originally covered by a topknot. It represents his omniscience and enlightened insight. His empty elongated earlobes, distended from wearing heavy gold earrings as a prince, symbolize his abandonment of the mundane world. His closely cropped hair indicates his adoption of ascetic practices after cutting off his long locks worn as a prince. Between his eyes at the bridge of his nose is a small circle known as an urna. Described in texts as a whorl of hair, it is a sacred marking that signifies his prominence and enlightenment.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1986.
Rosenfield, John. The Arts of India and Nepal: The Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1966.
Trabold, J. The Art of India, An Historical Profile. Northridge, CA: California State University Press, 1975.
Glynn, Catherine. Aspects of Asian Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. University of Redlands, 1972.
Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.

Unknown
Head of Buddha Shakyamunicirca 150-200

On view:

Geffen Galleries, floor 3

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Head of Buddha Shakyamuni
Place Made: India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura
Date Made: circa 150-200
Medium: Mottled red sandstone
Dimensions: 14 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. (36.19 x 31.75 x 34.29 cm)
Credit Line: From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase
Accession Number: M.69.13.9
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: Staring straight at the viewer, this powerfully rendered head once belonged to an over life-size representation of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (traditionally dated to 563–483 BCE). His birth name was Siddhartha Gautama. He was born a prince in Lumbini, Nepal, but renounced his royal life to live as a wandering ascetic. After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Bihar, he was given the title, Buddha Shakyamuni (The Awakened One, Sage of the Shakya clan). He presented his First Sermon at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, and then traveled for more than four decades throughout northern India teaching and establishing a monastic order with monks and nuns. He reached his final enlightenment (mahaparinirvana) when he died in Kushinagara, Uttar Pradesh.

The Buddha is portrayed with a now-damaged cranial protuberance that was originally covered by a topknot. It represents his omniscience and enlightened insight. His empty elongated earlobes, distended from wearing heavy gold earrings as a prince, symbolize his abandonment of the mundane world. His closely cropped hair indicates his adoption of ascetic practices after cutting off his long locks worn as a prince. Between his eyes at the bridge of his nose is a small circle known as an urna. Described in texts as a whorl of hair, it is a sacred marking that signifies his prominence and enlightenment.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1986.
Rosenfield, John. The Arts of India and Nepal: The Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1966.
Trabold, J. The Art of India, An Historical Profile. Northridge, CA: California State University Press, 1975.
Glynn, Catherine. Aspects of Asian Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. University of Redlands, 1972.
Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.