Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD. A large cast iron head of Buddha with segmented head of curled hair, scooped ears with extended lobes, recess to the brow to accept a glass or gemstone(?) urna cabochon; mounted on a custom-made stand. 35.6 kg total, 60cm including stand (23 1/2"). Acquired for the ‘Buckingham Collection’ by the late Nik Douglas (1944-2012), renowned author, curator and Asian art expert; the collection formed from the early 1960s to early 1970s; much of the collection was displayed at the major exhibition ‘The Buddha Image: Out of Uddiyana’, Tibet House, 22 West 15th Street, New York, 16 September-20 October 2010, extended to 16 November and again to 7 January 2011; where the collection of one hundred pieces was publicly valued at US$ 15M; this piece was scheduled to be included in an exhibition entitled ‘On the Silk Route; Birth of The Buddha’, to be held in London from November 2012, but sadly his death prevented this; accompanied by copies of several press releases and articles for the exhibition, including Artnet News, This Week in New York, Huffpost and Buddhist Art News; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no. 168436-10382.