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Pakistan 2nd - 3rd c. Kushan Period Gandhara Region Polished Black Schist 33cm (13") |
Detail: Detail View The execution of the had is exempolary of the highpoint of Gandharan Art. The delicate narrow face is youthful with strongly defined, handsome features and a curling moustache. His wavy hair arranged in cascading curls is pulled back from the forehead and encircled by a diadem consisting of four rows of pearls culminating in faceted finials attached to a central bead. This is probably based on actual jewellery of the period. A raised urna is positioned between the delicately arched eyebrows. A horizontal piece of hair on the top of the head forms a double loop which is tied by a strand of hair in the middle, a style normally associated with the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. References: The head can be compared with that of a standing Bodhisattva Christies NY Sale 1265. Lot 11, 17 September 2003 Czuma, S; Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India, Cleveland, 1985,p. 205, fig 114. Zwalf, W; A Catalogue of the Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum, London, 1996, pp. 36 – 48, figs 50 – 73. Detail: Side view |
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