A BLACKSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA


CENTRAL THAILAND, DVARAVATI PERIOD, CIRCA 8TH CENTURY9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm) high
|泰國中部 陀羅缽地王朝 約八世紀 黑石佛首像 The Mon sculptor of this stone head of Buddha from the early Dvaravati civilization of Central Thailand has carved Buddha's serene countenance with an engaging vigor. The Dvaravati civilization refers to a cluster of predominately Mon city-states centered around Central Thailand which formed the basis of state Buddhism in Thailand, and which shared a similar material culture. Whereas many Dvaravati Buddha images have a thick, serpentine monobrow, here the sculptor has produced subtler arches. Instead of a carving the eyelids with a thick double line around the eyes' perimeter, the sculptor has elected to focus on the upper lid by creating a recession. This subtle touch adds prominence to the eyes' downcast gaze. Similar examples within the Dvaravati style can be seen across 7th-to-8th-century sculptures published in Guy (ed.), Lost Kingdoms, New York, 2014, pp.205-7, nos.115-7. Another black stone Dvaravati head carved with these variations is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1983.13). However, in the present example, the Buddha's eyebrows and bottom lip have a steeper upsweep, making his smile more explicit and enlivening his expression. Indicative of the spread of Buddhism from India to Southeast Asia, fostering interactions between ancient cultures, Dvaravati art is informed by Gupta images of Sarnath in northern India. Among the Sarnath features represented here are the Buddha's thick curls in clockwise spirals and the omittance of an urna. Yet, according to Gosling, Sarnath and Dvaravati images also differed in the following respects (Gosling, Origins of Thai Art, Bangkok, 2004, p.68): "The harmonious integration of parts that distinguished the Sarnath images were absent in most of the Dvaravati examples... But while the bodies may have been more rigid, the faces of Dvaravati's images were less stylized, gentler, and more approachable than the Gupta prototypes... The cheeks were softened while cheek bones were firm. Eyes were pensive and mouths were expressive, and steeply arched eyebrows met above a flattened nose. In the best Dvaravati pieces the inner, gently smiling spirituality for which the Gupta images are revered, was not only preserved but enhanced by its rendition in more lifelike ways." Exhibited Art of Thailand, Ithaca College Museum of Art, summer 1971  Provenance Private Collection, Philadelphia, 1959 Christie's, New York, 12 September 2012, lot 620