A RARE GRAY SCHIST HEAD OF A BODHISATTVA WITH ‘GARUDA’ TURBAN CREST, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD-4TH CENTURY

Expert’s note: The turban on the present bodhisattva head has remained intact, providing a rare opportunity to observe ancient haute couture. It gives an exacting rendition of a Kushan turban, with figural decoration at the sides and ruffled fabric surrounding a splendid crest depicting the mythic eagle Garuda whisking away a Naga above two maidens. The vast amount of Gandharan bodhisattva sculptures have damaged or lost turban crests, making the present head extremely rare.

Finely carved, the serene face with heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes, elegantly arched brows, full lips, and a wavy mustache. His coiffure is secured by a finely embellished and jeweled turban and immaculately arranged in a topknot fronted by a crest depicting Garuda with wings spread out and a naga caught in its beak, above two maidens, the sides carved with centaurs holding bows and arrows.

Provenance: Collection of Mr. Demesmaeker, Brussels, Belgium. Thence to his wife Dr. René Schroeder. Jacques Grosbusch, Luxembourg, acquired from the above in 2018. A copy of a signed provenance statement by Jacques Grosbusch, dated 28 August 2023, confirming the above, accompanies this lot. A copy of a signed sale certificate by Dr. René Schroeder, dated 15 February 2018, confirming the above, accompanies this lot.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, chips, scratches, obvious losses, encrustations, structural cracks, possibly smaller old repairs, and remnants of gilt and pigment.

Weight: 28.1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 36 cm (excl. stand) and 51.5 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on an associated stand. (2)

The subject of the turban's crest derives from the Jataka tales, stories about the previous lives of the historic Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, while he was still a bodhisattva: a Buddha in-potentiate. There are a number of jatakas that feature Garuda, the King of the Birds, which scholars have pointed to as the source. Traditionally, the emblem has been viewed as an amalgamation of the perpetual feud between the garuda and the nagas, mythic serpents here being anthropomorphized as a clan (see Czuma, Kushan Sculpture, Cleveland, 1985, p. 182). The reference to a narrative from the Jataka tales, which recount the previous lives of the bodhisattva who went on to be reborn as Siddhartha Gautama, suggests the subject of this sculpture is likely prince Siddhartha.

Literature comparison:
The same type of emblem appears on the turban crest of the ‘Foucher Bodhisattva’ in the Musee Guimet, Shabaz-Garhi, Pakistan, dated 3^rd-4^th century, inventory number AO 2907. This sculpture is named after "the father of Gandharan studies", A. Foucher, who collected it on an expedition ending in 1925 (see Auboyer, Rarities of the Musée Guimet, New York, 1975, p. 25, no. 1). The crest is also the subject of at least three known free-standing sculptures, one held by the Peshawar Museum, illustrated by Luczanits (ed.), Gandhara, Mainz, 2008, p. 279, no. 210; another in the British Museum, illustrated by Zwalf, Gandharan Sculpture, London, 1990, p. 67, no. 106; and the third in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1980.325.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 23 July 2020, lot 809
Price: USD 50,075 or approx. EUR 55,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A schist head of Siddhartha, Ancient region of Gandhara, circa 3rd century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of carving, with a similar crest depicting Garuda on the turban. Note the size (33.7 cm).