Head of a Bodhisattva or celestial being

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Gandharan, Head of Bodhisattva or celestial being
Photo Credit: 

MHCAM Digitization Center 

mh_1931_1_o_oi_v2-cdm.jpg

Gandharan, Head of Bodhisattva or celestial being
Photo Credit: 

MHC Digitization Center

mh_1931_1_o_oi_v3-cdm.jpg

Gandharan, Head of Bodhisattva or celestial being
Photo Credit: 

MHC Digitization Center

mh_1931_1_o_oi_v6-cdm.jpg

Gandharan, Head of Bodhisattva or celestial being
Photo Credit: 

MHC Digitization Center

Not On View
Unknown
Gandharan
Place made: 
Asia; Gandhara (Pakistan)
Head of a Bodhisattva or celestial being, 2nd-3rd century CE (Kushana Period, 1st-4th century)
Stucco with traces of paint
Overall: 9 in x 5 1/2 in x 5 7/8 in; 22.9 cm x 14 cm x 14.9 cm
Purchase with the Nancy Everett Dwight Fund
MH 1931.1.O.OI

Gandharan art reflects a blending of indigenous Buddhist artistic traditions with the naturalism of Hellenistic Greek sculpture. This delicately sculpted head of a bodhisattva—a Buddhist enlightened being—borrows Hellenistic elements, including wavy hair, detailed eyes, and balanced facial proportions. Hellenistic culture was first brought to the region of Gandhara when Alexander the Great was expanding his empire in the fourth century BCE; Greek influence reached its peak under the Kushan empire (30–375 CE), when this head was made.

-James Collings ’18, Curatorial Intern, Summer 2017, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum