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Head of a Naga-Protected Buddha

Head of a Naga-Protected Buddha

Khmer

Fragmentary sculpture depicting the head and partial mandorla of a Buddha. He wears a patterned crown, surrounding a conical patterned ushnisha. He has elongated earlobes, one of which is broken, and has lined lips and eyes. The mandorla is a hood formed by seven nagas (serpents), and the heads of four survive. The fronts of the nagas are decorated with a wave pattern and each have an image of a sun. The backs of the nagas are covered in scales and decorated with a larger sun near the head. There is a single large sun medallion at the base.

Stone

Khmer Empire, 9th-15th century

Sculpture