A red sandstone head of Buddha

INDIA, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, 2ND/3RD CENTURY

Details

A red sandstone head of Buddha
India, Mathura, Kushan period, 2nd/3rd century
Very finely carved with bow-shaped smile, deep-set, heavy-lidded eyes and finely arched brows centered by a raised urna
13¼ in. (33.5 cm.) high

Provenance

Collection of Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck, New York, late 1940s
Jay C. Leff Collection, Uniontown, Pennsylvania, late 1960s/early 1970s
Previously sold at Sotheby's New York, 19 September 1996, lot 137

Sale room notice

Please note this work was previously in the collection of Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck, possibly as early as the late 1940s, and was then purchased by Jay C. Leff in the 1960s or earlier.

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

Due to its location on the caravan trade routes through central India, Mathura was for centuries an important economic center. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Mathura became a capital for the mighty Kushan Empire. During this time, both in Mathura and the region of Gandhara simultaneously, images of Buddha began to appear in anthropomorphic form for the first time. In contrast to Gandhara, where Graeco-Roman concerns for naturalism were stressed, the body types of the Mathura Buddhas convey an idealized Indian vitality.

More from Indian and Southeast Asian Art

View All