Gilt Stucco Head of Kuan-Yin

A sublime molded stucco head of a young male donor from the ancient region of Gandhara, 4th-5th century. The youthful nobleman sculpted in an idealized...

A sublime Greco-Buddhist stucco head of the Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, circa 3rd-5th century. A fragment of a larger statue, the Buddha's face...

A remarkable Chinese life sized painted stucco head of a luohan, Song, Liao or Jin Dynasty, circa 11th century, China. The amazingly life-like figure depicts a luohan (sometime spelled lohan), also known as an arhat, one of the original disciples of the Buddha. The elderly man has been molded in stucco with inset glass eyes and painted with idealized, if slightly exaggerated features. The unidentified luohan sports a bald, or perhaps shaved, domed head above a bulging forehead, symbolizing his vast wisdom. The wrinkles in his furrowed brow, and creases around his eyes add to his realism. The learned man stares out wisely from deep set, heavily lidded inlaid glass eyes that catch the light. The luohan has high cheekbones and a prominent jawline. His lips full and pursed as if about to speak. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly in a faint smile, causing his gaunt cheeks to dimple charismatically. A series of dots above the upper lip indicate he may originally have sported a mustache of real hair. This life sized head with extremely realistic features fits into a very narrow time frame of Chinese Buddhist art. Perhaps the most recognized group of large, finely molded Chinese luohan...

A sublime Gandharan modeled stucco head of a Bodhisattva, Kushan Period, 4th - 5th century, Ancient Kingdom of Gandhara, probably Hadda, Afghanistan. The unidentified Bodhisattva is...