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Maker(s):	Unknown
Culture:	Gandharan
Title:	Head of a Bodhisattva or celestial being
Date Made:	2nd-3rd century CE (Kushana Period, 1st-4th century)
Type:	Sculpture
Materials:	Stucco with traces of paint
Place Made:	Asia; Gandhara (Pakistan)
Measurements:	Overall: 9 in x 5 1/2 in x 5 7/8 in; 22.9 cm x 14 cm x 14.9 cm
Accession Number:	MH 1931.1.O.OI
Credit Line:	Purchase with the Nancy Everett Dwight Fund
Museum Collection:	Mount Holyoke College Art Museum

Description:
Oval-shaped face; wavy hair

Label Text:
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

Tags:
ancient; archaeology; religion; Buddhism; hairstyles

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+1931.1.O.OI

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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