A LARGE AND IMPORTANT STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY

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A LARGE AND IMPORTANT STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY Expert’s note No style of Indian art is more easily assimilated into the Western canon than Gandharan sculpture. Numerous monasteries, shrines, and stupas, richly decorated with stone and stucco, were commissioned by the merchant communities. Like other Gandharan stucco, this head was originally richly colored. It displays several of the characteristic marks of the Buddha: the prominent hair-knot (ushnisha), here treated in a Graeco-Roman manner unlike contemporary Indian styles; the forehead mark (urna); and the elongated earlobes, an allusion to his former princely status when he wore pendant earrings. The head formed part of a life-size figure, probably of Gautama the Buddha as a young man. Traces of red remain on the lips and eyelids. The face was shaped from a mold, but the hair was modeled by hand. Kushan period. Delicately and crisply modeled, the gently rounded face with heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes below elegantly arched brows, centered by a concave urna above the aquiline nose, and rosebud mouth forming a subtle smile, the thick wavy hair piled up over the ushnisha. Dimensions: Height 42 cm (excl. stand), 53 cm (incl. stand) Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2) In addition to schist, stucco was a popular medium for sculpture in the ancient Gandhara region. A lightweight, malleable ware, stucco readily lends itself to delicate detailing and sensitive modeling, conveying an emotional presence exemplified in this fine head of Buddha. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related smaller stucco head of Buddha, Pakistan, dated c. 4th century, 18.4 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 13.96.4. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Zacke, Vienna, 16 October 2025, lot 236 Price: EUR 65,000 or approx. EUR 67,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar serene expression, facial features, wavy hair, and size (45 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 September 2017, lot 601 Price: USD 52,500 or approx. EUR 62,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar serene expression, facial features, wavy hair, and size (45 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 2010, lot 109 Price: USD 43,750 or approx. EUR 58,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar serene expression, facial features, and wavy hair. Note the smaller size (36.8 cm).

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