BEAUTIFUL GANDHARA SCHIST STONE HEAD OF BUDDHA

C. 100-300 AD. Gandharan. Superb life-size schist head of Buddha, with characteristic topknot (Ushnisha) and elongated, pendular ears. His forehead is ornamented with a well-defined urna and his heavy-lidded eyes are half closed and combined with his noble nose, small, fine lips, and prominent chin, create a noble, otherworldly impression. The back is rough and unfinished, suggesting this piece was originally placed in an architectural setting. Gandhara was an ancient region in the Peshawar basin in the north-west of the ancient Indian subcontinent. The Kushan period (c. 75-451 AD) of Gandharan art, to which this head belongs, was the golden age of artistic production in the area. Provenance: From an important private London Collection (H.G); previously acquired in Paris in 2006. Formerly in the collection of Alain Kottlar since the 1960s. Size: L:with stand: 480mm / W:240mm ; 31kg