Blue schist hand of a substantial Buddhist figure with sophisticated rendition of the fingers holding a lotus flower. The wrist with a richly ornamented double bracelet. Remains of red pigment on the fingernails and some gilding on the fingers.
Gandharan art is a form of cultural syncretism fusing Greek aesthetical canons with the first representations of the Buddha in human form. A great profusion of sculptural reliefs with scenes from the life of the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, decorated mo ...click for details
Bronze head of a dignitary wearing a pointed cap. Incised details for the border of the cap and for the necklace.
Bronze.
Near Eastern, 1st Millennium BC.
L. 3 cm (1.2 in).
Fair condition with incised details below the encrusted patina.
Swiss public auction (data will be disclosed to the buyer).
Appealing Syrio-Hittite terracotta bird in alert pose, showing a stylized head with pointed beak. Incisions for the eyes. The angular neck emerging from a dicoidal body with delicately impressed rows on the upper side to indicate the feathers of the wings. The bird standing on an integral stand with flared base.
Small terracotta figures representing both domestic and wild animals as well as humans have been unearthed in the western Euphrates area which formed part of the so called Fertile Cresc ...click for details
Youthful head of a Bodhissatva with superbly modeled asymmetries. The protruding left side of the face together with the falling line of the eyes and of the mouth make the head appear bent to the right.
The yellow-ochre face shows black eyebrows and faint red pigment on the swollen eyelids which close the eyes to slits. Traces of red also appear on the sensitively modeled fleshy mouth. A red dot on the forehead, the so-called urna, symbolizes enlightenment and wisdom.
The oval face is framed b ...click for details
Vessel of globular body and beaked spout, the shoulder with three raised knobs. Fluting on the arched handle.
Ceramic.
Yortan Culture, about 2700-2500 BC.
H. 18 cm (7 in).
Spout and joining handle reattached, otherwise intact.
Swiss private collection (Provenance will be provided to the buyer)
Refined head of the Buddha with solemn expression. The delicate facial features with half open heavy lidded eyes, an aquiline nose and a sensitively modeled lips.
The half open eyes confer the head a meditative gaze. The hair is delicately textured and gathered in a topknot.
The idealized style is reminiscent of Greek Hellenistic sculpture which influenced the Buddhist imagery of Central Asia.
Stucco.
Gandhara, 3rd/4th century AD.
H. 9.3 cm (3.66 in), H. with stand 15.8 cm (6.2 in).
Exquis ...click for details
Sheet silver in the shape of a bearded man wearing a cloak rendered with diagonal folds.
Carefully embossed head with soft classical features, heavy moustache and beard and curled hair surrounded by a row of dots.
Pierced nipples and holes for fixation.
Silver.
Eastern Mediterranean, 5th/4th Century BC.
H. 9.3 cm (3.66 in).
Appealing item with missing extremities. Wrinkles along the neck and the waist.
German art market (data will be provided to the buyer)
Head of the Buddha shown with solemn expression. The refined facial features with arched eyebrows over heavy lidded eyes and a sensitively modeled mouth with purse lips.
The half open eyes with their barely indicated irises confer the head a meditative gaze.
The hair is delicately textured with a central bun (usnisha) on top.
The idealized style is reminiscent of Greek Hellenistic sculpture which lived on among Gandharan artists.
Stucco.
Gandhara, 3rd/4th century AD.
H. 7.7 cm (3 in), H. w ...click for details
Bust of a bearded priest wearing a conical headdress with sideward plaits running down to the shoulders. Small face with prominent nose and faded features. The right arm raised to the chest, the left resting on the side.
For a related item cf. lot no. 373/374 in: Sotheby’s New York, June 1995 auction.
Terracotta.
H. 10 cm (3.9 in), H. with plinth 19 cm (7.5 in).
Near Eastern, 5th century BC.
Mold made, broken at the chest level. Soil deposits, root marks.
Swiss private collection.
Hand modeled Iron Age rider with prominent nose and chin, applied pellet eyes and a barely indicated hairdo.
The mane of the missing horse has left an impression on the rider's chest.
For a similar rider in the Ashmolean museum found at Deve Huyuk I (Northern Syria, Euphrates area) cf. museum catalogue no. Moorey (2004) 359. For a later Deve Huyuk II rider cf. Moorey (2004) 361.
Terracotta.
Northern Levant, Iron age, 7th century BC.
H. 5.1 cm (2 in), H. with stand 10.1 cm (4 in).
Broke ...click for details
