Myanmar (ex. Burma) is one of the most devout Buddhist countries in Asia. Devotional architecture dots the countryside including vast fields of brick and stucco stupas and elaborate wooden temples. The stupas, which are symbolic reliquaries believed to house relics of the Buddha, contained chapels. This painted stucco head of a disciple would have been part of a scene devoted to the Buddha in such a chapel. There would have been additional characters who figured in the life of the Buddha. The size of this sculpture suggests that it was placed high and meant to be viewed from below.
