Head of Bodhisattva
Grey Schist
Ancient region of Gandhara,
Kushan Period 2nd Century
Height 27cm 10.75 inches
Carved head of Bodhisattva, his perfectly proportioned oval
face bearing a benevolent expression, with deeply carved elongated
eyes set under arched brows with an urna placed in between ,
an aquiline nose and fine wavy moustache above bow – shaped
lips. His rippled hair is arranged in undulating curls at the
sides of his head and behind his ears and is gathered at the
top in a double looped knot secured with a jeweled fillet.
This magnificent and very beautiful head of Bodhisattva is
a fine example of the Gandharan style of sculpture that flourished
in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from roughly
the 1st through the 5th centuries of the Common Era. The region
of Gandhara, which comprised parts of modern day Pakistan and
Afghanistan , was strategically located at the hub of the ancient
Silk Routes.
The elegantly modeled face displays the classic fusion of Indic
and Hellenistic artistic traditions that characterized Gandharan
art. Indeed the double looped topknot crowning the deity’s
head is reminiscent of the kroibilos of the Apollo Belvedere
and points directly to Greek influence. The jeweled headdress
is part of the rich suite of aristocratic accoutrements known
as Bodhisattvabharana, which indicated the deity’s divine
identity and also acted as symbols representing the material
and spiritual wealth to be gained by lay worshippers.
The youthful face and arrangement of the hair and headdress
are almost identical to a complete Bodhisattva image in the
Karachi Museum. See H Ingholt, Gandharan Art in Pakistan, New
York, 1957, No.293. Also compare with a Bodhisattva bust illustrated
in Isao Kurita, Gandharan Art Vol II : The World of the Buddha,
Tokyo, 2003 pl 18.
Reference: Sotheby’s Indian & Southeast Asian works
of Art. New York March 23 2007. Lot No.7
