
Head of a Bodhsiattva
Location Karakorum
Dating 13th-14th cent.
Epoch Mongolian empire
Material Clay
Technique Burnt
Type Excavation find
Description
The fragment belonged to a hollow, underlife-sized clay sculpture. The red clay is glazed green. On the head is a crown or bonnet ornament reminiscent of a tiara. It probably depicted a bodhisattva. In Buddhist teachings, bodhisattvas are beings who have already attained enlightenment but renounce Nirvana in order to help the suffering beings of this world. The depiction with a crown and rich jewellery is typical of bodhisattvas.
3D Visualisation
3D Model: C. Mackenzie / DAI
Images: H. Rohland / DAI
Literature
Hüttel, H.-G. (2005) ‘Kopf eines Bodhisattva (?)’, in Dschingis Khan und seine Erben: Das Weltreich der Mongolen. München: Hirmer, pp. 157–158.