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Lot Essay
Larger than life size, the present head is an outstanding example of the ability of gandharan artists capturing the idealized physical beauty of the enlightened Buddha. The head blends naturalism with spiritual content, expressing a sense of mediative concentration. The perfect proportions of the Buddhas's oval face with its deeply carved elongated eyes, high cheekbones and prominent nose are remarkable and attest to the consummate skill of the sculptor.
Compare a stylistically related example in W. Zwalf, A catalogue of Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum, 1996, cat. no. 545. Another large head is illustrated in Harald Inghold, Gandharan Art in Pakistan, New York, 1957, no. 531.
Compare a stylistically related example in W. Zwalf, A catalogue of Gandhara Sculpture in the British Museum, 1996, cat. no. 545. Another large head is illustrated in Harald Inghold, Gandharan Art in Pakistan, New York, 1957, no. 531.