Ca. 200-300 AD.A seated schist figure of Buddha atop a platform flanked by two columns. The facial features are carefully modelled, with heavily-lidded eyes, a small nose and closed lips; the face is framed by hair in a characteristic topknot (Ushnisha) and large, pendulous ears. His hands are held in front of the body. Gandhara was an ancient region in the Peshawar basin in the north-west of the ancient Indian subcontinent. The Kushan period (c. 75-451 AD) of Gandharan art, to which this schist head example belongs, was the golden age of artistic production in the area.Size: L:600mm / W:365mm ; 30.5kgProvenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s in Belgium; previously in 1970s European collection.