Astonishing Stone Large, 22 cm, 4.5 kg, Buddha Head, Gandhara Kingdom, 200-300 AD!!! Presumably, this stone head was a part of the Buddhist Temple carved in a solid rock. Height: 8.5 inches = 22 cm; Width: 5.5 inches = 13.5 cm; Depth: 4 inches = 10.5 cm; Weight: 10 lb. = 4.5 kg; Material: Schist stone. Condition: Small chips all over, but good preservation, considering age (1700 years old). Restored area (3 x 2 cm) in forehead, otherwise original condition; Provenance: from private collection (more info is available on demand). Similar statue Lot 17 was on sale on Christie's Sept 14, 2010 auction with estimate of $ 25,000-$ 35,000. References: Gandhra (Sanskrit/Hindi: Gandr, Urdu/Punjabi: , Pashto: ,'; also known as Waihind in Persian), is the name of an ancient kingdom (Mahajanapada), located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the valley of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau (see Taxila) and on the Kabul River. Its main cities were Purushapura (modern Peshawar), literally meaning City of Man and Takshashila (modern Taxila). The Kingdom of Gandhara lasted from the early 1st millennium BC to the 11th century AD. It attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century under the Buddhist Kushan Kings. The Hindu term Shahi is used by history writer Al-Biruni to refer to the ruling Hindu dynasty that took over from the Turki Shahi and ruled the region during the period prior to Muslim conquests of the 10th and 11th centuries. After it was conquered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1021 CE, the name Gandhara disappeared. During the Muslim period the area was administered from Lahore or from Kabul. During Mughal times the area was part of Kabul province.
Condition: Small chips all over, but good preservation, considering age (1700 years old). Restored area (3 x 2 cm) in forehead, otherwise original condition; The last 2 photos show the original damage on the forehead before restoration.
Low Estimate: 10000
High Estimate: 35000
Original: Yes
Medium: Stone