This Buddha head displays the characteristics of the Mandalay style. This type emerged in Myanmar in the second half of the nineteenth century, and continues to be used with only minor variations today. The main elements are a large, rounded 'ushnisha' (cranial bump representing wisdom), a broad band separating the face from the hair, a wide mouth (although the lips here are thinner than on other Mandalay style images), slightly arched eyebrows that connect with the wide nose. The ends of the elongated ears, a result of the heavy earrings worn during his life as a prince, are broken. They would have once had rounded ends that rested on the Buddha’s shoulders. The narrow, downward-gazing eyes are also typical of Mandalay period Buddha images and demonstrate the Buddha’s contemplative state of mind.

Asian Art Department, AGNSW, October 2011.