CHARACTERISTICS:

Visual description: smooth, eyes looking down

COMPOSITION:

The sculpture is balanced, symmetrical. His pose is static, without movement, stable. The figure is roughly like a triangle, making it very stable, still, without movement.

He looks heavy and solid. His robe has folds that form regular, repeating patterns.

Interpretive: possibilities include peaceful, quiet, gentle body, beautiful . . .

ATTRIBUTES:

He has the bump on the head and long earlobes that identify him as Buddha, even though he looks different from the previous one. His half smile suggests contentment, that he has no needs or wants.

QUESTION:

Do you know what he is doing?

ATTRIBUTES:

He is sitting in meditation. His hand is reaching down to make an "earth-touching gesture" . . .

NARRATIVE:

. . . to remind us of another story from his life. (Why Does Buddha Have Bump?)

COMPARISON:

To the previous Head of the Buddha from Thailand. He is carved from stone, instead of cast from bronze metal. His face looks different, without the fine lines around his eyes and mouth. The movement, from his eyes and hand, is downward to the ground. The earlier Buddha head has more outward movement.