PROPERTY FROM THE ASBJORN LUNDE FOUNDATION A SCHIST HEAD OF BUDDHAANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD/4TH CENTURY 11 in. (28 cm) high 犍陀羅 三/四世紀 片岩佛首 Manifesting a peaceful, confident countenance, this sensitively carved and polished sculpture depicts the head of Buddha, as denoted by the urna on his forehead, the cranial protuberance at the top of his head ( ushnisha ), and his extended ear lobes. His arched brow, heavy-lidded eyes, and bow-shaped mouth are characteristic of Gandharan Buddha images. Inspired by Greco-Roman aesthetics, the soft, slightly fleshy cheeks and chin convey the sculptor's pursuit of realism. Here, the treatment of Buddha's hair is quite distinctive, with loose, wavy locks emanating from the central point of his hairline, and tightly curling locks above the high-domed ushnisha . A similar arrangement is seen in a smaller head of Buddha preserved at the Lahore Museum (G-174), as well as a standing Buddha at the Penn Museum, Philadelphia (29-68-1). Provenance: Collection of Asbjorn Lunde (1927-2017), New York, by 1988