Buddha's head. Gandhara, India, 19th century. Carved stone.

Buddha's head. Gandhara, India, 19th century.
Carved stone.
Measurements: 11 x 8 x 10 cm.
Head of Buddha in carved stone from the Gandhara culture, identified by several lakshana or symbolic signs specific to the plastic representation of Buddhas and bodhisattvas: elongated earlobes, symbol of greatness, nobility and wisdom; folded eyelids, symbol of spiritual concentration and also of purity, due to their resemblance to the petals of the lotus and a serene face, with a sketched smile, which symbolises the balance and serenity of a perfect being.
The historical region of Gandhara, which corresponds to southeastern present-day Afghanistan, central and northern Pakistan, and northwestern India, was a satrapy of the Achaemenid Persian Empire from the 6th century BC, conquered by Alexander the Great, and remained Hellenistic with the Greco-Hindu rulers until it was annexed to the Kushana Empire (1st-3rd centuries AD). The Kushans adopted many elements of Hellenistic culture, adapting the Greek alphabet, etc. to their language. It is because of these historical circumstances that Greco-Buddhist art, a syncretism between Greek culture and Buddhism, developed in Gandhara.