Head of a bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)

Sculpted during the Jin or Yuan dynasties, this fully modeled, dignified, and elaborately detailed head reflects the splendor of Buddhist sculpture of the preceding Song dynasty (960–1279). The highly detailed two-tier crown, decorated with dragons and phoenixes, mimics ornate gold crowns excavated from royal burial tombs in northern China. In the front of the crown is a roundel on a lotus base containing a Tibetan character meaning “buddha.” Its use here may be as a substitute for the miniature image of Amitābha, the buddha who usually appears in the headdress of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.