Head of a Buddha
Unknown Artist
late 5th–early 6th century
Medium
Red sandstone
Dimensions
H. 10 in. (25.4 cm); W. 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm); D. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm) On base: H. 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture & Period
India (Uttar Pradesh, Mathura) · late Gupta period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Doris Rubin, in memory of Harry Rubin, 1989
Accession Number
1989.236.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This serene *Head of a Buddha*, from red sandstone in late 5th– 6th century India hails from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh—a renowned center of Gupta-period sculpture. Standing 14¾ inches tall on its base, the piece exemplifies the region's mastery of stone carving, where artisans quarried vibrant red sandstone to create luminous, lifelike figures. Mathura's workshops produced some of ancient India's most iconic Buddhist art, blending spiritual symbolism with classical realism. The late Gupta period, often called India's "Golden Age," marked a pinnacle of artistic refinement under imperial patrona...