This is an outstanding andesite Buddha Head depicted with a full, round face, downcast eyes, arched eyebrows, raised urna, bow-shaped mouth, aquiline nose, distended earlobes and snail-shell hair curls turned clockwise covering the head and ushnisha. The overall rendition is a superlative example of the Buddhist art of Central Java. This piece closely resembles the seated Dhyani Buddhas that punctuate the circumambulatory terraces of Borobudur. Borobudur, one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world, is a colossal late 8th to early 9th century CE stupa-like edifice built in the form of a three dimensional mandala. Stylistically the facial features of the Buddha sculptures of Borobudur remain close to the Gupta style of Northern India with their mouth and eye lid shapes or hair in snail-shell curls obviously inspired by the great classical style of the Subcontinent.This piece is from the collection of Karl Ernst Osthaus (1874–1921) an eminent German collector, art patron and philanthropist who in 1902 founded the Folkwang Museum of Hagen. A visionary collector and pioneer, this Javanese Buddha Head was accquired by him in the early 20th century. The base seen here was originally designed for display at his museum.
