This work was produced during the construction of the first wave of great Buddhist sanctuaries in northern China during the 5th−6th century. The introduction of Buddhism into China from India by pilgrims and the merchants of the Silk Roads led to the creation of huge monastic complexes hewn out of the jagged mountains in the north of the country. This Buddha’s head comes from a temple or chapel belonging to a monastery. Its style closely resembles many of the sculptures recently unearthed at Qingzhou in Shandong and is representative of 6th-century Buddhist art, even though works of such plastic quality are rare.