Beschreibung:

Lot details Ancient region of Gandhara, 4th-5th century. The head modeled with finely curled hair and wearing an elaborately adorned tiara centered by a stylized flower, the face with elegant features, such as the finely incised arched eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, aquiline nose, gentle smile, and long earlobes with circular earrings. Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence sample analysis has been conducted by Oxford Authentication, reference no. N116n12, dated 18 October 2016, and is consistent with the suggested period of manufacture. A copy of the thermoluminescence analysis report accompanies this lot. Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Dépêche du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Évariste Régis Huc, also known as the Abbé Huc (1813-1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book “Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China”. Inventory List: In 1954, L. Magniette, bailiff of the court in Toulouse (Huissier), was ordered to compile a complete inventory of the collection inherited by Marcel Huc from his father, Arthur Huc, the so-called “Inventaire Huc”. The present lot is listed in this inventory as follows: “Serie de vingt deux têtes en terre-cuite. GANDHARA” (series of twenty-two terracotta heads. GANDHARA). A copy of the inventory list and cover page are accompanying this lot. French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel Nr. 185456 dated 30 June 2017 has been granted and a copy is accompanying this lot. Condition: Excellent, almost unique condition, fully consistent with the age of the sculpture. Some firing flaws and material loss to exposed areas. Old wear, weathering, minor cracks and nicks. Weight: 5.9 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 28.5 cm (excl. stand) and 40.2 cm (incl. stand) With a modern metal stand. (2) The kingdom of Gandhara lasted from 530 BC to 1021 AD, when its last king was murdered by his own troops. It stretched across parts of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gandhara is noted for its distinctive style in Buddhist art, which developed out of a merger of Greek, Syrian, Persian and Indian artistic influences. Gandharan style flourished and achieved its peak during the Kushan period, from the 1st to the 5th century. In the first century AD, Gandhara was the birthplace of some of the earliest Buddhist images. The use of hard-fired ceramic instead of stone such as schist became popular during the later Gandharan period from the 4th to 6th centuries AD. Fired clay was expensive in the area, because the wood needed for the firing process was scarce. Therefore, such an expensive sculpture would have been a highly meritorious Buddhist offering. According to Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor to the present Buddha. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya refers to a time in the future when the dharma will have been forgotten by most on the terrestrial world. In the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, in the first centuries CE in northern India, Maitreya was the most popular figure to be represented along with Gautama Buddha. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 17 October 2001, lot 3 Price: USD 18,800 or approx. EUR 31,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Terracotta Head of a Bodhisattva, Gandhara, 4th/5th century Expert remark: Note the