A FINE STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY
A FINE STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 170, PS UK 1984, LA, Gandhara 3rd c. stucco head of Buddha”
Gallery price: EUR 5,600 or approx.
EUR 9,400 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Kushan period. The rounded face with downcast almond-shaped eyes beneath arched brows in a serene expression, aquiline nose, slight bow-shaped lips, flanked by ears with pendulous lobes, the undulating locks of hair tied away from the face in a chignon above the domed ushnisha.
Provenance: Peter Sloane, London, United Kingdom, by 1984. Collection of Leo Albrecht, Denmark, acquired from the above. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above before 2005. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for at least 21 years.
Peter Sloane is a dealer operating from the Grays Antique Market, Mayfair, London, specializing in Indian, African, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan tribal and ethnographic art.
Leo Albrecht was a German-born publisher and literary agent who established himself in Copenhagen after the Second World War. In 1951 he founded his agency, which played an important role in expanding the international market for Scandinavian literature. He began collecting art in the late 1950s, with a particular focus on Asian sculpture. In Copenhagen, he spent much of his time visiting antique dealers, museums, and exhibitions. He developed especially close ties with Ole Haslund, Lau Sunde, and Freddy Hansen, among the most prominent dealers in their fields. He also traveled frequently to London, where he became close friends with Adrian Maynard. Jorgen Ruben first met Albrecht in 1984, and they quickly became close friends. Ruben later described him as a gentleman and “the greatest collector of Asian art in Denmark.” He acquired Albrecht's entire Asian sculpture collection when Albrecht moved back to Germany after selling his publishing company. The two remained close, with Albrecht continuing to visit Denmark each summer and staying at the Ruben family's beach house north of Copenhagen.
Jorgen Ruben is a Danish art dealer and collector who has been active for over four decades and is highly regarded in the fields of Asian art and classical antiquities. Raised in an art-conscious family, Ruben was exposed early to both modern painting and European decorative arts. He began working in the art trade in the mid-1970s, first with Persian rugs and later with antiques, while travels to Iran and a visit to Persepolis sparked his lasting interest in antiquity. After studies in Copenhagen and London, he worked in England with a dealer in early furniture, before travelling widely in Latin America and Asia, deepening his knowledge of regional art and culture. In 1984 Ruben opened a gallery in Copenhagen dealing in Asian antiquities. He was later active in London and, in the early 2000s, operated the Brussels gallery Classic Art. Much of his career, however, has been conducted privately from home, selling by appointment to collectors, galleries, and museums. Ruben has always bought selectively, choosing only works that deeply engaged him, and often keeping them for many years until placing them with a collector he felt truly understood them.
Important Note: For essential information on the
Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, obvious losses, scattered old repairs and fills, minor chips, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations.
Weight: 4.4 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 25 cm (excl. stand), 30 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated stand. (2)
Gandhara, located in the rugged foothills of the Himalayas, was a thriving cultural crossroads, where Greek, Parthian, and Kushan influences converged with the indigenous Buddhist tradition. The wealth of the region, bolstered by its pivotal role in trade, allowed for the commissioning of grandiose sculptures and monumental icons that reflected the evolving Buddhist philosophy, particularly from the 4th to 5th centuries AD. These works embodied the transformative ideologies of a flourishing Gandharan society.
In addition to schist, stucco was a popular medium for sculpture in the ancient Gandhara region. A lightweight, malleable ware, stucco readily lends itself to delicate detailing and sensitive modeling, conveying an emotional presence exemplified in this fine head of Buddha.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 March 2007, lot 225
Price: USD 19,200 or approx.
EUR 27,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stucco head of Buddha, Gandhara, 3rd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial expression and hairstyle. Note the size (20 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 September 2006, lot 3
Price: USD 14,400 or approx.
EUR 20,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stucco head of Buddha, Gandhara, 3rd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial expression and hairstyle. Note the size (21.5 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
A FINE STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2005:
“No. 170, PS UK 1984, LA, Gandhara 3rd c. stucco head of Buddha”
Gallery price: EUR 5,600 or approx.
EUR 9,400 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Kushan period. The rounded face with downcast almond-shaped eyes beneath arched brows in a serene expression, aquiline nose, slight bow-shaped lips, flanked by ears with pendulous lobes, the undulating locks of hair tied away from the face in a chignon above the domed ushnisha.
Provenance: Peter Sloane, London, United Kingdom, by 1984. Collection of Leo Albrecht, Denmark, acquired from the above. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above before 2005. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for at least 21 years.
Peter Sloane is a dealer operating from the Grays Antique Market, Mayfair, London, specializing in Indian, African, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan tribal and ethnographic art.
Leo Albrecht was a German-born publisher and literary agent who established himself in Copenhagen after the Second World War. In 1951 he founded his agency, which played an important role in expanding the international market for Scandinavian literature. He began collecting art in the late 1950s, with a particular focus on Asian sculpture. In Copenhagen, he spent much of his time visiting antique dealers, museums, and exhibitions. He developed especially close ties with Ole Haslund, Lau Sunde, and Freddy Hansen, among the most prominent dealers in their fields. He also traveled frequently to London, where he became close friends with Adrian Maynard. Jorgen Ruben first met Albrecht in 1984, and they quickly became close friends. Ruben later described him as a gentleman and “the greatest collector of Asian art in Denmark.” He acquired Albrecht's entire Asian sculpture collection when Albrecht moved back to Germany after selling his publishing company. The two remained close, with Albrecht continuing to visit Denmark each summer and staying at the Ruben family's beach house north of Copenhagen.
Jorgen Ruben is a Danish art dealer and collector who has been active for over four decades and is highly regarded in the fields of Asian art and classical antiquities. Raised in an art-conscious family, Ruben was exposed early to both modern painting and European decorative arts. He began working in the art trade in the mid-1970s, first with Persian rugs and later with antiques, while travels to Iran and a visit to Persepolis sparked his lasting interest in antiquity. After studies in Copenhagen and London, he worked in England with a dealer in early furniture, before travelling widely in Latin America and Asia, deepening his knowledge of regional art and culture. In 1984 Ruben opened a gallery in Copenhagen dealing in Asian antiquities. He was later active in London and, in the early 2000s, operated the Brussels gallery Classic Art. Much of his career, however, has been conducted privately from home, selling by appointment to collectors, galleries, and museums. Ruben has always bought selectively, choosing only works that deeply engaged him, and often keeping them for many years until placing them with a collector he felt truly understood them.
Important Note: For essential information on the
Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, obvious losses, scattered old repairs and fills, minor chips, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations.
Weight: 4.4 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 25 cm (excl. stand), 30 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated stand. (2)
Gandhara, located in the rugged foothills of the Himalayas, was a thriving cultural crossroads, where Greek, Parthian, and Kushan influences converged with the indigenous Buddhist tradition. The wealth of the region, bolstered by its pivotal role in trade, allowed for the commissioning of grandiose sculptures and monumental icons that reflected the evolving Buddhist philosophy, particularly from the 4th to 5th centuries AD. These works embodied the transformative ideologies of a flourishing Gandharan society.
In addition to schist, stucco was a popular medium for sculpture in the ancient Gandhara region. A lightweight, malleable ware, stucco readily lends itself to delicate detailing and sensitive modeling, conveying an emotional presence exemplified in this fine head of Buddha.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 March 2007, lot 225
Price: USD 19,200 or approx.
EUR 27,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stucco head of Buddha, Gandhara, 3rd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial expression and hairstyle. Note the size (20 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 September 2006, lot 3
Price: USD 14,400 or approx.
EUR 20,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stucco head of Buddha, Gandhara, 3rd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial expression and hairstyle. Note the size (21.5 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
