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3. Head of a Cosmic Buddha Java, Borobudur 9th century Andesite height 35 cm. |
This head is a fragment of a cosmic Buddha image that one graced the Great Stupa at Borobudur in Central Java. Rows of such Buddhas sat along the terraces and occupied the myriad niches and stupas of this vast Buddhist monument. Vajrayana Buddhism became predominant in Central Java around 750 ce. Each of the transcendental Buddhas represents one of the five cosmic elements. This life-size portrait of a transcendental Buddha is endowed with rows of plump curls that cover his head and ushnisa, elongated earlobes that reflect his royal origins, and the urna, sign of illumination, on his forehead. Consecrated in 824 ce, the mandala-like Borobudur is among the world’s major Buddhist monuments and is of enormous historical importance. It has great symbolic significance too, for it was built as a symbol of the universe. Borobudur was a centre of meditation and pilgrimage. The visitor making the clockwise ascent would pass the more than 1,300 stone friezes before finally arriving at the great circular terraces at the top that symbolize the realm of formlessness and ultimate enlightenment. Buddha statues from Borobudur rank among the most beautiful works of Buddhist sculpture. The present life-size Buddha head is a classic example of the Borobudur style. Treated with a lively imagination, this noble portrait of Buddha is carved with pure volume and finely delineated features, revealing its meditative character. Provenance: Collection Jean Michel Beurdeley, France, 1970s. Collection Mr. and Mrs. S. A. Tchekhoff, France, 1970s-2009. Art Loss Register Certificate, Reference S00007755. A.J. Bernet Kempers, Ageless Borobudur, Wassenaar, 1976, p.171. Idem, Borobudur. Mysteriegebeuren in steen, Den Haag, s.d., no.39. P. Pal, A Collecting Odyssey. Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, New York, 1997, no.126. |