Indonesia - Central Java Sandstone Important monumental Buddha head in andesite. - 41 cm

Important monumental Buddha head in andesite, Central Java, 9th-10th century

Imposing Buddha head sculpted in heavy volcanic stone, characteristic of the great sculptural tradition of Central Java. With its 41 cm height and an exceptional weight of 41.7 kg, the work possesses a truly monumental presence.

The face, broad and serene, features deeply lowered eyes, continuous brow-ridges, a powerful nose and full lips delicately arched. A raised urna marks the center of the forehead. The long ears with stretched lobes frame the face, while the coiffure is organized into numerous spiral curls around a high ushnisha.

One particularly interesting aspect of this sculpture lies in its entirely three-dimensional treatment: the hair extends widely behind the head, confirming that it was a true sculpted volume and not merely a frontal fragment.

The material, the facial architecture, the meditative eyelids, the elongated lobes and the coiffure find significant correspondences in the great Central Javanese Buddhist sculpture of the 9th century, notably in the artistic context to which Borobudur belongs. The traditional attribution to the 9th-10th century remains fully coherent with the institutional comparisons studied.

The surface preserves ancient and natural weathering as well as a few small losses, without impairing the remarkable legibility of the face and the coiffure. This patina contributes to the strong mineral presence of the work.

Provenance: former Austrian family collection, reputedly acquired around 1960; then European private collections.

A sculpture of grand scale, particularly decorative and representative of one of the great moments of Southeast Asian Buddhist art.