This is a stone sculpture of the head of a Bodhisattva. Peacefully gazing downwards, the figure has a serene facial expression, radiating an approachable and amiable aura. His broad arched brows and the sweep of the lowered lids lead the eye down the straight nose to the plump lips and slightly upturned chin, before following the softened jawline to the plump cheeks and returning upward to the crown of the head. The spacious distribution of facial features, the wide nose, the square-ish face, as well as the extensively decorated crown, all denote a distinctive Sui style.
The head belongs to a mature phase of Sui artistic production, when craftsmen synthesized styles from within and beyond China into graceful yet dynamic compositions that expressed the transcendental majesty of the Buddhist subject, diversifying the visual vocabulary of each region of the empire, while preserving established characteristics in production. Thus, this sculpture embodies the stylistic transition from the Northern Dynasties to Tang Dynasty.