Exhibited 4th C. Indian Gupta Terracotta Portrait Head

South Asia, India, Gupta Period, ca. 320 to 550 CE. A lovely mold-made pottery head of a woman displaying a gracious visage of two slender, heavy-lidded eyes beneath a sweeping brow, an elegant nose, and full lips held in a gentle, open-mouthed smile to show a row of petite, tab-shaped teeth. Flanked by a pair of sizable ears, her serene countenance is topped by an intricately incised coiffure, which is centrally parted and pulled back into a coiled bun with a triangular hair ornament on her left side. An annular earring with decorative dangles adorns her right ear and a tikka stretches across her forehead with its pendant laying between her slender brows and a pair of delicate chains resting on her temples. These beautiful adornments suggest this was likely a noblewoman of high status within Gupta culture. Size: 6" W x 6.5" H (15.2 cm x 16.5 cm); 13.5" H (34.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Exhibited at the Festival of Arts at San Francisco State College in April 1961 as part of "Arts From South Asia" (curated by Dr. Karl Weith of the University of California Los Angeles).

Provenance: private Washington, USA collection, acquired before 2000

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#163093
Condition Report: Christie's label on back of stand with inventory number and barcode. Collection number on bottom periphery of neck. Fragment of larger piece. Restoration to bottom of proper left ear. Chips to nose. Some expected minor nicks and abrasions as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with impressively preserved detail and rich earthen deposits throughout.