Head of the Crowned Buddha

Description The most heavily bejeweled crowned Buddhas-sometimes seated, more frequently standing-were made in the second half of the 17th century. Some, like these, appear to be the product of the royal workshops in Ayutthaya, at a time when the absolute power of the king was also great. The facial features have a tension seen also in the flickering ornament on the back.

Exhibitions

• Unearthly Elegance: Buddhist Art from the Griswold Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1995.
• The Kingdom of Siam: Arts of Central Thailand, 1350-1800. Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Peabody Essex Museum, Salem. 2005-2006.

Provenance Nakhon Kasem, Bangkok; Alexander B. Griswold, Monkton, 1946, by purchase, [presented to the Breezewood Foundation, inv. no. 537]; Walters Art Museum, 1979, by gift.

Inscriptions none

Credit Gift of A. B. Griswold, 1979