GANDHARAN SCHIST HEAD OF BUDDHA

Ca. 200-400 AD. A schist head of Buddha, with characteristic topknot (Ushnisha) and elongated, pendular ears. His forehead is ornamented with an 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 northwest 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. For further discussion on Gandharan art, see Jongeward, D. 2019, Buddhist Art Of Gandhara in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Good condition, mounted on a custom-made stand. Cf. Bonhams, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art, New York, 22 March 2022, Lot 301. Size: L:145mm / W:90mm ; 3.22kg Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s in Belgium; previously in 1970s European collection.