antique bronze statues and gilt bronzes chinese and Indian sculptures antique chinese porcelain examples Welcome   Our Collections Bronzes and Metalwork Exhibitions Early Ceramics Contact Enamels Furniture   Himalayan   Indian   Ivory and Raino Horn   Lacqoer   Porcelain   Sculpture   Southeast Asian   Works of Art A bronze head of Buddha, 13th century, Tibet This head of a young man bears all the characteristics associated with the Buddha. His pendulous ears are a sign of the earrings he would have worn as a Prince - being heavy, they would have stretched the ears - and symbolic of his wisdom and compassion. Tightly knotted curls of hair cover the raised ushnisha that is also indicative of the Buddha's great wisdom and ability, as is the urna in lapis - that not only symbolizes but is believed to radiate wisdom - at the centre of his forehead. Half smiling, as in blissful meditation, the overall facial expression is contemplative and calm. The quality of this head can be seen in the fine crisp casting and the use of inlaid metals - the lips in copper, the eyes inlaid with silver, and the dark circular pupils filled in with a type of bitumen. Height: 27 cm Similar example: 'The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet' Buddhist Art in Nyingjei Lam Collection, by David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, Laurence King Publishing, 1999 - plate 19, page 104.