A PINK SANDSTONE HEAD OF BUDDHA, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD India, Uttar Pradesh, 2^nd-3^rd century. The head finely carved with a round face, a gentle smile below heavy-lidded eyes, the brows centered by a circular urna, the face flanked by elongated ears and surmounted by closely cropped hair, remains of a back pillar.

Provenance: The Pan-Asian Collection of Christian Humann, Denver, Colorado, USA. Formerly on loan to the Denver Art Museum. Sotheby's New York, 27 March 1991, lot 13, at an estimate of USD 4,000 or approx. EUR 8,500 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Stefaan Grusenmeyer, Belgium, acquired from the above. A noted Belgian private collection, acquired from the above in 1991 and thence by descent in the same family. A copy of the Sotheby's catalog entry from 27 March 1991 for the present lot, dating the head to circa 2^nd century AD and attributing it to Mathura, accompanies this lot. Christian Humann (1929-1981) was born in France and later moved to the United States, eventually becoming the Curator of Asian Art at the Denver Art Museum. Humann was an enthusiastic collector of Asian statues, and his Pan-Asian Collection included a vast number of sculptures spanning from Afghanistan to Southeast Asia over the last two millennia.
Condition: Good condition commensurate with age and overall as expected from a stone sculpture with an age of roughly two millennia. Extensive wear with signs of weathering and erosion, some nicks, structural cracks, and losses. Fine, naturally grown patina.

Weight: 5,390 g
Dimensions: Height 19.6 cm (excl. stand), 28.8 cm (incl. stand)

With a modern metal stand. (2)

Due to its location on the caravan trade routes through central India, Mathura was for centuries an important economic center. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, it became a capital for the mighty Kushan Empire. During this time, both in Mathura and the region of Gandhara simultaneously, images of Buddha began to appear in anthropomorphic form for the first time. In contrast to Gandhara, where Graeco-Roman concerns for naturalism were stressed, the body types of the Mathura Buddhas convey an idealized Indian vitality.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Indian red sandstone head of Buddha, dated to 1^st-2^nd century, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 28.97.2.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Near identical
Auction: Christie's New York, 19 March 2014, lot 1069
Price: USD 60,000 or approx. EUR 74,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A red sandstone head of Buddha, India, Mathura, Kushan period, 2nd/3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the near identical face, eyes, urna, and hair. Note the size (33.5 cm).