Country Group: South and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam)

Item id: 8511

Superb Post-Gupta near-life-size 5-7th century stone head from a high level collector who donated much of his collection to the Cleveland Museum of Art in the 1980's. He did not have a paper trail that permitted him to donate this piece in the same tax credit on this piece, so I was able to purchase it in the early 1990's along with another remarkable stone piece. Shows expectable wear, but this only enhances his expressiveness and beauty. This is a high class piece of early sculpture- it almost seems alive. It radiates joy, peace, and happiness in a way that only great spiritual art manages to convey. The photos are only partially successful at showing the true beauty of this piece, as the patina and surface are so complex. This piece looks far more beautiful in person- as good as the pieces in the high end auctions. The actual head is close to 8" x 6.5" x 4.45", and is quite heavy. On its custom base, it stands at 11.5" tall at its highest point. It somehow seems much larger than the dimensions convey.