Fine Art · Asian Works of Art
Head of a Bodhisattva in a Looped Turban
No. I

Head of a Bodhisattva in a Looped Turban

Gandhāran style

A princely young face beneath a high turban looped and knotted over the brow, with heavy ear ornaments at either side.

Style
Gandhāran style; made now
Form
Head, made as a fragment, on a black stand
Appearance
Grey, with a matt finish that is paler on the raised surfaces
Dimensions
18.5 × 13 cm (7 ¼ × 5 ⅛ in.)
Weight
4.4 kg with stand
Category
Gandhāran Heads
Reference
VFA-001
Price
US$ 880

Catalogue Note

The bodhisattva — the enlightened being who remains in the world to help others — was shown in Gandhāra as a prince of the region, in the turban, jewellery and moustache of the local nobility. This head follows that type closely: the turban wound in broad twisted bands and gathered into a crest, the eyes long and half-lowered, the mouth small and full.

It is made as a head alone, finished at the neck with an irregular edge, in the way Gandhāran heads are most often seen in museum collections, and it is mounted on a plain black stand. At 18.5 centimetres it is among the larger heads in the collection and holds its own on a shelf or a narrow table.

In stock · US$ 880

The price includes packing; carriage is quoted at cost once we know the destination. Write to us to buy it, or to ask anything at all beforehand — we answer the same day and send an invoice payable by card or transfer.

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