Page 8 - Bonhams March 22 2022 Indian and Himalayan Art NYC

PROPERTY FROM THE ASBJORN LUNDE FOUNDATION

301
A SCHIST HEAD OF BUDDHA
ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD/4TH CENTURY
11 in. (28 cm) high

$8,000 - 12,000

犍陀羅 三/四世紀 片岩佛首

Manifesting a peaceful, confident countenance, this sensitively carved and polished sculpture
depicts the head of Buddha, as denoted by the urna on his forehead, the cranial protuberance
at the top of his head (ushnisha), and his extended ear lobes. His arched brow, heavy-lidded
eyes, and bow-shaped mouth are characteristic of Gandharan Buddha images. Inspired by
Greco-Roman aesthetics, the soft, slightly fleshy cheeks and chin convey the sculptor’s pursuit
of realism.

Here, the treatment of Buddha’s hair is quite distinctive, with loose, wavy locks emanating from
the central point of his hairline, and tightly curling locks above the high-domed ushnisha. A
similar arrangement is seen in a smaller head of Buddha preserved at the Lahore Museum (G-
174 ), as well as a standing Buddha at the Penn Museum, Philadelphia (29-68-1).

Provenance:
Collection of Asbjorn Lunde (1927-2017), New York, by 1988

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