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3. CATALOGUE NO. 22 STUCCO HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA Gandhara; NORTHWEST PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN CIRCA 4TH CENTURY stucco H. 27 CMS, 10 ½ INS |
CATALOGUE NO. 22 STUCCO HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA NORTHWEST PAKISTAN OR AFGHANISTAN GANDHARA CIRCA 4TH CENTURY H. 27 CMS, 10 ½ INS A magnificent white stucco head of a Bodhisattva with a calm contemplative gaze and a gentle smile, the hair arranged in horizontal waves and swept upwards to an usnisha-type protuberance on top of the skull, a drilled urna on the forehead that may once have accommodated a jewel. The use of stucco and terracotta as a substitute for the grey schist of many early Gandhara sculptures led to a greater freedom of expression and innovation. For a similar head see cat. no. 125 in S. J. Czuma, Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1985. PROVENANCE: Private European collection since the early 1990s. Reputedly purchased from Spink and Son Ltd. Itemcode: CATALOGUE NO. 22 |