Stucco Buddha Head.

As a new member who has “collected” for many years I have several items I’d like to learn more about. I purchased this well weathered Buddha head from the daughter of a New York art dealer maybe 15-20 years ago - she knew nothing about it. I simply found it to intriguing to pass up. It is made of Stucco and is approx. 11 1/2” from the top of the “ushnisha” (I had to look that one up) to the bottom of the chin and 8 ½” wide. Though it may have been taller originally. This may be from the Kingdom of Ayutthaya (1350 CE to 1767 CE), though I see many similar stucco heads ascribed to the Gandhara region which would be several centuries earlier (600 BCE to 1100 CE). What characteristics place this head in one or the other era? What date would you estimate it to be? This Buddha has no “third eye.” Thanks for any thoughts.

 

Sorry. My pictures turn out sideways. Working in it

 

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Your 4th image does not seem to have loaded properly. I would like to see a straight on view of the front. Perhaps this is the photo that did not load.

In the meantime, compare with this Ayutthaya stucco head held at the Walter's Art Museum:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thai_-_Head_of_the_Buddha_-_Walters_25188.jpg

 

Yes, that is very similar. Thank you.

 

I am not a specialist in this area, but just comparing the heads visually it seems more likely to be Thai than Gandharan. The Gandharan art is more naturalistic, while the Thai has formal conventions such as the hard edges on the arched eyebrows, and around the lips. The treatment of the ears on yours seems like it might be a distinctive feature, but I have not been able to find comparative examples that have retained their ears, or that show them in the available photos.

Dating a piece without provenience is challenging. I think you would need to have a specialist see it and be able to handle it to get a better idea. A great many reproductions come out of Thailand.

 

Thank you for you opinion. I agree and am thinking ca.1500. I guess no need for anything more definitive. Not worth the expense of having an expert look at it.