INDONÉSIE, JAVA CENTRAL, IXÈME SIÈCLE

This magnificently carved head of Buddha closely resembles the manifold transcendental Buddhas erected in Central Java under the Sailendra Dynasty at the beginning of the ninth century. The forehead extends broadly over heavy lids and a slight, serene smile, giving the Buddha a quiescent and particularly introspective expression. Certain features of this sculpture speak directly to the classical Central Javanese Buddha images of the ninth and tenth centuries, including the clearly defined curls, elongated earlobes and smooth chiseling of the porous volcanic stone. The soft contours, straight nose, and plump lips are reminiscent of Indian Gupta prototypes. The Gupta Empire, spanning from the fourth to sixth centuries, was known for the development of sensual features and balanced volumes that strongly influenced the styles of later kingdoms. The present example, in part due to its material and to local Buddhist considerations, is a distinct development upon this prototype through sensitive, lifelike modeling with subtle contours. The present work can be compared to two similar examples, including the head of a dhyani buddha from the Avery Brundage Collection, illustrated by R. d'Argence in Indian and South-East Asian Stone Sculptures from the Avery Brundage Collection, 1969, pp. 86-87, and a head of Buddha in the Rietberg Museum, illustrated by J. Fontein in The Art of Southeast Asia; The Collection of the Museum Rietberg Zurich, 2007, pp. 106-107. In the two comparable examples, the balanced proportions and curved treatment of the rough surface speak to an emphasis on creating outwardly naturalistic and inwardly thoughtful images of Buddha.
See a closely related andesite head of buddha Shakyamuni of the same period, from the Dharma collection, sold at Christie's Paris, 12 June 2019, lot 235.