Head of a Buddha

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This head from a nearly lifesize figure of the Buddha reflects the late Gupta artistic idiom. In an effort to represent the Buddha’s enlightenment and his inward-looking meditative nature, the artist abstracted and idealized his physical features, especially evident in the articulation of the eyes and the intersecting convex planes of his cheeks and forehead.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art