Fine Art · Asian Works of Art
Head of a Fierce Bearded Guardian
No. X

Head of a Fierce Bearded Guardian

Gandhāran style

A scowling bearded face with knotted brows, flaring nostrils and wild, upswept hair.

Style
Gandhāran style; made now
Form
Head, made as a fragment, on a black stand
Appearance
Pale grey, with a rough, uneven finish
Dimensions
15.5 × 12 cm (6 ⅛ × 4 ¾ in.)
Weight
4.1 kg with stand
Category
Gandhāran Heads
Reference
VFA-010
Price
US$ 720

Catalogue Note

The one openly ferocious face in the collection. Gandhāran art gave the Buddha a bodyguard, Vajrapāṇi, who was often modelled on Herakles or on a wild man of the woods; this head follows that tradition, with the brows drawn together, the nose broad and the hair standing up from the forehead.

It is at its best lit from above, when the deep furrows of the brow throw strong shadows.

In stock · US$ 720

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