A STUCCO BODHISATTVA HEAD WITH RED PIGMENT RESIDUES
PROPERTY FROM THE MOITA COLLECTION OF GANDHARA ART
Hadda or Fondukistan, Afghanistan, 3rd - 5th century

Almost carved in the round, the face typical of the Fondukistan artistic production with wide almond-shaped eyes, very pronounced lips, spiky nose and arch-like eyebrows, the hairstyle with clear Greco-Roman influences, with thick curls and wearing a tiara with a gem in the centre, traces of red pigment on the lips, forehead and around the eyes, mounted on a wooden base, 28cm x 20cm including the base.

This type of head is normally associated with the Hadda excavation in Afghanistan. For reference, please see Philipp von Zabern, Das Buddhistische Erbe Pakistan: Legenden, Kloster und Paradiese, Mainz, 2009, cat. 246.