Head of a Bodhisattva

There are many crossovers in imagery when one compares this 2nd/3rd century head of a Buddhist deity, called a bodhisattva (meaning "enlightened being"), with portraits of emperors from the Roman Empire (see comparative image of a 4th/5th-century example in the Smart Museum’s collection). Yet they also celebrate distinct sets of cultural values—those of the Buddhist East and Imperial Christian West.

They share large arched brows, small pursed mouths, and jeweled ears symmetrically aligned vertically down the middle of a frontal staring face to form an immobile visage of power and eternal youth. Both underscore their authority by the use of royal or sacred attributes. A wreath-like diadem encircling the head, short-cropped bangs, and massive earrings made of gold or other precious metal, signal the wealth and political power of the Roman emperor. The third "eye" above the nose, elaborate topknot held in place by a beaded net and massive earrings, identify the wisdom of a princely bodhisattva, who is destined to become a Buddha, but remains engaged in worldly life to assist others in their quest for personal salvation.