From the 14^th to the 16^th centuries, the Ayutthaya Kingdom in Thailand emerged as one of the most powerful forces in mainland Southeast Asia. Continuing the artistic trajectory set forth under the Sukhothai kingdom, the Theravada polity sponsored the production of Buddha images fashioned in a distinct new style. The faces display a curvilinear contour with lower hairlines towards the sinuous brows, accentuated by elongated ears flared at upper and lower tips. The present head of Buddha is a production possessing such elements.
Radiating serenity and peace, the Buddha’s face features gracefully elongated, downcast eyes, three-quarters closed, an aquiline nose that seamlessly aligns with gently arching brows, a bow-shaped mouth conveying a subtle smile and a delicately incised chin. His refined facial features are framed by pendulous earlobes. While his headdress consists of tight curls rising to form an ushnisha.
Compare the present lot with an Ayutthaya Buddha head sold at Christie’s New York on 20 March 2009, lot 1221, for $62,500, as well as another bronze Buddha head (Walters Art Gallery, The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand, Baltimore, 1997, fig. 240). Further compare the facial features and headdress with a seated Ayutthaya Buddha sold at Bonhams New York on 23 September 2021, lot 1214.