Page 14 - Bonhams March 22 2022 Indian and Himalayan Art NYC

304
A SCHIST HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA
ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD/4TH CENTURY
13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm) high
$25,000 - 35,000

犍陀羅 三/四世紀 片岩菩薩首

This distinctive sculpture depicts the head of a bodhisattva, an enlightened individual who
delayed Buddhahood in order to help sentient beings. The Greco-Roman influence in
Gandharan art is clearly seen in his facial features, which are both naturalistic and idealized,
creating a serene, pensive expression as the bodhisattva looks down. His face is framed by
an array of neatly arranged short ringlets falling across his forehead, each terminating in an
exquisite tail-like twist. His wavy locks are embellished with beaded ornaments before being
tied into a loose, asymmetrical topknot that drapes towards his left ear. In Gandharan art,
this type of square-knot chignon is often associated with Maitreya. Although most images of
Maitreya feature a neat symmetrical topknot with shorter loops, more relaxed examples like the
present lot also exist, as seen in a standing figure of Maitreya at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York (13.96.16).

Compare to a closely related Gandharan head with similar loose chignon, hair ornaments, and
short ringlets, at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (1967.28). Also see Bonhams, New York, 14
September 2015, lot 81.

Provenance:
Private Dutch Collection by 1958
Thence by descent

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