Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c18.s2.16

c18.s2.16

It is evident that the universal Indian standard is one of nine ‘faces,’ which in the terminology of European canons of proportion would be just over seven ‘heads.’ The figure of Buddha is made only relatively ‘heroic’ by increasing the unit, without altering the proportions to any appreciable extent. But there appears to have been some variation in the standards; the Rūpāvaliya (pp. 112, 113, above), for instance, gives the height of a man or a woman at eight, and an Asura at nine, Devas and Buddhas at ten ‘faces’; but verse 129 gives proportions agreeing with those prescribed in Sāriputra for figures of the Buddha. Slightly conflicting statements are also made by craftsmen; as ten for Buddha, nine for gods, eight for men, and seven for women. One craftsman reversed the last, explaining this on the ground that tall women were considered beautiful.