Ca. 200-300 AD Over life size schist head of a bodhisattva, with elaborate coiffure featuring a topknot (Ushnisha) and carefully-detailed hair, neat headband, heavy, lowered eyelids, elegant nose, neat moustache, closed mouth and strong chin. His identity as a bodhisattva is established by the presence of a well-defined urna on his forehead. Together, these details create a majestic impression of a bodhisattva or individual who is able to reach nirvana (enlightenment) but delays doing so through compassion for suffering beings. The back is rough and unfinished, suggesting this piece was originally placed in an architectural setting. Gandhara was an ancient region in the Peshawar basin in the north-west of the ancient Indian subcontinent. The Kushan period (c. 75-451 AD) of Gandharan art, to which this head belongs, was the golden age of artistic production in the area. For further discussion on Gandharan art, see Jongeward, D. 2019, Buddhist Art Of Gandhara in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Good condition. A comparable item was recently sold at Bonham�s, see https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24358/lot/3078/. Item comes with a professional historical report from Ancient Report Specialists. Size: L:570mm / W:350mm ; 40.65kg Provenance: Property of a London gallery, formerly in a Tescott collection (USA) , 1970s-1990s.