Fine Art · Asian Works of Art
Head of a Bearded Man with Curling Hair
No. VII

Head of a Bearded Man with Curling Hair

Gandhāran style

A mature man with a short curling beard and a mass of tousled hair, the eyes deep-set under a heavy brow.

Style
Gandhāran style; made now
Form
Head, made as a fragment, on a black stand
Appearance
Dark grey, the raised curls paler
Dimensions
14.5 × 11 cm (5 ¾ × 4 ⅜ in.)
Weight
3.6 kg
Category
Gandhāran Heads
Reference
VFA-007
Price
US$ 680

Catalogue Note

Bearded heads of this kind — philosophers, ascetics, attendant figures, sometimes the Greek hero Herakles in his Gandhāran role as the Buddha’s protector — are among the most Hellenistic things the region produced. The hair and beard here are worked in thick, separate curls that catch the light, against a dark ground.

The contrast between the pale raised curls and the darker face is strong, which makes it one of the most legible heads at a distance.

In stock · US$ 680

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