A SCHIST HEAD OF A BODHISATTVAANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD/4TH CENTURY 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm) high 犍陀羅 三/四世紀 片岩菩薩首 This distinctive sculpture depicts the head of a bodhisattva, an enlightened individual who delayed Buddhahood in order to help sentient beings. The Greco-Roman influence in Gandharan art is clearly seen in his facial features, which are both naturalistic and idealized, creating a serene, pensive expression as the bodhisattva looks down. His face is framed by an array of neatly arranged short ringlets falling across his forehead, each terminating in an exquisite tail-like twist. His wavy locks are embellished with beaded ornaments before being tied into a loose, asymmetrical topknot that drapes towards his left ear. In Gandharan art, this type of square-knot chignon is often associated with Maitreya. Although most images of Maitreya feature a neat symmetrical topknot with shorter loops, more relaxed examples like the present lot also exist, as seen in a standing figure of Maitreya at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (13.96.16). pare to a closely related Gandharan head with similar loose chignon, hair ornaments, and short ringlets, at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (1967.28). Also see , New York, 14 September 2015, lot 81. Provenance: Private Dutch Collection by 1958 Thence by descent