Artwork
Cambodian bronze sculpture of Buddha head, ca. 13th century A.D., V&A Museum
Cambodian bronze sculpture of Buddha head, ca. 13th century A.D., V&A Museum is a photographic photography by Unknown. It dates from 1924 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The image is a black‑and‑white photograph taken in 1924 that records a bronze head of the Buddha from Cambodia, dating to the thirteenth century. The sculpture is positioned on a dark pedestal, set against a plain, light‑toned background, allowing the form of the head to dominate the composition.
Subject & Meaning
The bronze figure presents the Buddha’s head in a frontal pose, the expression calm and contemplative. The stylised hair is rendered in a series of rounded, textured coils, a conventional iconographic feature that signals the figure’s spiritual status within Buddhist art.
Technique & Style
Cast in bronze, the head exhibits the smooth, polished surface typical of Southeast Asian metalwork of the period. The treatment of the hair and the subtle modelling of the facial features reflect the aesthetic preferences of thirteenth‑century Cambodian sculpture, which emphasized serenity and refined detail.
History & Provenance
The object entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection in the early twentieth century; the photograph documenting it was taken by an unidentified photographer in 1924. Its provenance prior to acquisition by the museum is not recorded in the available sources.
Context
During the thirteenth century, the Khmer Empire produced a flourishing body of Buddhist art, often in bronze, for both religious devotion and royal patronage. This head exemplifies the period’s integration of Indian Buddhist iconography with local artistic conventions, illustrating the cross‑cultural currents that shaped Cambodian visual culture.
Artist & collection
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