Page 182 - Himalayan Art Macrh 19 2018 Bonhams

3080
A LIMESTONE HEAD OF A MAN Whereas this lot’s material was described as stucco when sold at
ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 4TH/5TH CENTURY auction in 1982, Dr. Patapaditya Pal has identified it firsthand as
13 1/2 in. (34.5 cm) high limestone. In personal correspondence with Bill Clark in November
1985, Pal also suggested it might have originated from the region
of Hadda where large deposits were known. Compared to stucco,
$6,000 - 8,000
the use of limestone is much rarer in Gandharan sculpture, but Pal
provided Bill with four comparables in Roland, Ancient Art from
犍陀羅 四/五世紀 石灰岩男子頭像 Afghanistan, New York, 1976, pp.74 & 91, figs.53, 71, 73, and 97.

The distinctive arrangement of the turban that is secured by a band
with three projecting leaves does not follow those worn by deities,
nor does the low-slung broad mustache. Compare with related
heads in the Lahore Museum and Musée Guimet published in Kurita,
Gandharan Art, vol. II, 1990, pp.126, 141 & 143, nos.347, 401 & 411.

Provenance
Christie’s, London, 8 July 1982, lot 48 (pl.1)
Elizabeth and Willard Clark Collection, California

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