This head of a Buddha had been identified as being made of iron and labelled as belonging to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD), merely because most other cast iron sculptures of this type had also been dated to the Ming dynasty. The head is now installed in the centre of the new Tsui Gallery and it is secure in a glass case. The head has been displayed at some height from the ground to give an impression of its original height. When first made, it would have been part of a colossal figure of Buddha standing some six metres tall and, sadly, now we can only imagine how splendid the whole sculpture looked when it was completely painted and gilded.

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help