Head of Buddha

This bronze Buddha head is over one metre high and is all that remains of an enormous statue. Such an image would have been very expensive to produce and must surely have come from an important temple.

The head was cast in sections, and such was the skill of the sculptors, despite the size and a weight of around 100 kilos, it is hollow and the metal itself is only three millimetres thick. The sections are so thin and fine that details like the lips and eyes can be traced in hollow relief inside. The bronze mixture used is a most unusual alloy of copper, iron, tin and lead.