A STUCCO HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY
A STUCCO HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA, 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. 172, PS UK 1995, Gandhara 3rd c.”
Gallery price: EUR 1,450 or approx.
EUR 2,400 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Kushan period. Modeled with a meditative expression, the face with heavy-lidded eyes centered by a recessed urna, the wavy locks of hair secured by a headdress with a lotiform crest, the pupils, urna and lips highlighted with polychromy.
Provenance: Peter Sloane, London, United Kingdom, by 1995. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 31 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.
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, expected flaking and minor cracks, chips, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations.
Weight: 666 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 12 cm (excl. stand), 16.5 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 a bodhisattva.
Literature comparison:
Compare two related Gandharan stucco heads of bodhisattvas wearing turbans, 10 cm and 20.4 cm high, in the Museum of Asian Art, Berlin, inventory numbers I 146 and I 502.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's Paris, 12 March 2026, lot 355
Price:
EUR 5,120
Description: A stucco head, ancient region of Gandhara, 3rd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial features. Note the size (17 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 29 March 2022, lot 681
Price: USD 10,080 or approx.
EUR 10,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stucco head of an attendant, ancient Region of Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial features. Note the size (17.8 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
A STUCCO HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA, 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. 172, PS UK 1995, Gandhara 3rd c.”
Gallery price: EUR 1,450 or approx.
EUR 2,400 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Kushan period. Modeled with a meditative expression, the face with heavy-lidded eyes centered by a recessed urna, the wavy locks of hair secured by a headdress with a lotiform crest, the pupils, urna and lips highlighted with polychromy.
Provenance: Peter Sloane, London, United Kingdom, by 1995. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 31 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.
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, expected flaking and minor cracks, chips, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations.
Weight: 666 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 12 cm (excl. stand), 16.5 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 a bodhisattva.
Literature comparison:
Compare two related Gandharan stucco heads of bodhisattvas wearing turbans, 10 cm and 20.4 cm high, in the Museum of Asian Art, Berlin, inventory numbers I 146 and I 502.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's Paris, 12 March 2026, lot 355
Price:
EUR 5,120
Description: A stucco head, ancient region of Gandhara, 3rd-4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial features. Note the size (17 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 29 March 2022, lot 681
Price: USD 10,080 or approx.
EUR 10,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A stucco head of an attendant, ancient Region of Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial features. Note the size (17.8 cm).
Buyer's Premium
30%
