Gandharan Gray Schist Bust of a Goddess

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DAY 1 | Classical Antiquities & Asian Art

By Artemis Gallery

Dec 5, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-12-05 10:00:00 2018-12-05 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : DAY 1 | Classical Antiquities & Asian Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/day-1-classical-antiquities-asian-art-3698
Day 1 of an important 2-day auction featuring ancient and ethnographic art from around the world. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Viking, Near Eastern plus Asian Art from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, India, more. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Central Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Gandharan Empire, ca. 200 BCE to 100 CE. One of the finest examples of a sculpted woman from this culture that we have seen, this is a sensitive and lifelike carving of the upper body of a goddess or elite woman - perhaps the goddess Hariti. She wears a large headdress with a flower at its center and a tufted crest rising from one side. Below that, her curled coiffure and long dangling earrings frame her face, which is depicted with strong features - deep set eyes, a strong browline, a large, thin nose, and a small, thin-lipped mouth. She wears a flowing garment with several strands of beaded necklaces and bracelets. Her youthful, slender body is visible below one raised arm. She holds what looks like a pipe to her mouth. A halo is behind her head. Size: 5.45" W x 7.35" H (13.8 cm x 18.7 cm)
  
  This is an amazing and naturalistic carving from the period of Greco-Buddhist art. The Gandharan Empire made itself wealthy in part by controlling lucrative trade along the mountain passes between China in the East and the Near East and Mediterranean in the West; a great deal of this wealth went into local patronage of artisans and art. In the first century CE, Buddhism became fashionable amongst Gandharan elites, and the art produced at this time depicting the Buddha are some of the most striking Buddhist images from the past. Their artistic tradition also reflects the conquest of Alexander the Great and the introduction of styles from all sides, blended into a uniquely Gandharan tradition, which this woman exemplifies.
  
  Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
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  #137034

  Condition

  Piece is a fragment, with losses from the halo and below the upper part of the body. Encrusted deposits on surface, with some small areas of remaining white pigment. Excellent preservation of details.
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