A fragmentary stucco head of Buddha, from a larger statue. Much of the head is covered with a thin layer of light grey encrustation, but we can see the head is modelled in the classical Gandharan style and shows the attributes of Buddha. The face is finely modelled with a meditative expression, gently smiling lips, elongated earlobes, locks of rendered hair which would terminate in an usnisa at the top. Plain reverse. Mounted on a perspex stand.
 
Gandhara: Circa 3rd-5th century AD.
 
Fine condition generally; a surface chip to the tip of the nose and lip, and with earthy accretions.
Height including stand 11.4 cms (4.5 ins ).
 
Provenance: Ex. estate of Professor Victor Chan (1947-2020), Alberta, Canada and thence by inheritance. Acquired in London before 1990.
 
Victor Chan taught art history at the University of Alberta, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 2000. Professor Chan purchased the majority of his collection from smaller London dealerships including Tetragon, George Lambor, M. Ayres and Old Drury during visits to the UK during the early 1980's.
 
Much Gandharan art was damaged, looted and destroyed through war and religious iconoclasm during the past thirty years, culminating in the destruction of the famed Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001. The acquisition of this fragment pre-dates this deeply troubled period.
 
These sculptures, made from a pliable lime and gypsum based plaster, were used to decorate monastic buildings and often feature a blend of Eastern and Western influences, such as Greco-Roman styles combined with Indian Buddhist iconography. The stucco medium allowed for great plasticity, enabling a high degree of expressiveness and detail in the figures.