16th Oct, 2025 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
235
† A MAGNIFICENTLY MODELED OVER-LIFESIZE STUCCO HEAD OF BUDDHA, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA, 3RD TO 4TH CENTURY
€20,000
€40,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
Expert’s note: The present stucco head, like the following lot no. 236, is of earlier date than most, depicting wavy hair with not even a trace yet of the later Indian-influenced development of snail-like curls arranged all over the skull. The closest example in this regard is a head in the Musée Guimet, Paris, accession number AO 2960, discovered in Shahbaz Garhi and dated to the 3rd century, displaying a very similar hairline and rows of wavy locks.
Afghanistan, probably Hadda. Finely modeled, the oval face with almond-shaped eyes below elegantly arched brows, centered by a circular urna above the aquiline nose, and bow-shaped lips forming a gentle smile. The thick wavy hair piled up into a high topknot over the ushnisha and flanked by pendulous earlobes with long slits. The eyes, mouth, ears, and hairline with remnants of red and black pigment.
Provenance: A private collection in Japan. Jeremy Knowles, London, United Kingdom, by 2006. The collection of Cindy Elden, New York, United States, acquired from the above. A copy of the signed invoice from Jeremy Knowles, dated 1 July 2007, confirming the dating and provenance above, and stating a purchase price for the present lot of USD 65,000 or approx. EUR 101,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies the lot. Jeremy Knowles has been dealing with Indian and Asian works of art for over 25 years, specializing in fine and decorative sculpture and paintings. After working as a specialist in the Indian and Southeast Asian department of Spink and Son Ltd., he established his own business in 1993. He has previously exhibited at Asian Art in London, the Arts of Pacific Asia show in New York, and the Brussels Oriental Art Fair. Cindy Elden, philanthropist and collector, belongs to a lineage of distinguished art patrons that includes her great-uncles—David Archibald Smart (1892–1952) and Alfred Smart (1895–1951)—renowned Chicago publishers and art patrons whose legacy is commemorated in the naming of the Smart Museum of Art. Her father, Richard Elden (1933–2018), the visionary hedge-fund pioneer who founded Grosvenor Capital Management, upheld that legacy through decades of leadership as Governor of the Museum. As a current Board member of the Museum, Cindy Elden has supported acquisitions and exhibitions spanning antiquities to modern art, with a special emphasis on South and Central Asian sculpture. She is the President and Co-Founder of the Usher III Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to curing the rare genetic disorder that causes both hearing and vision loss.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, obvious losses, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, flaking, few cracks, small chips, nicks, scratches, remnants of red and black pigment, the right earlobe reattached, minor touchups.
Weight: 19.7 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 41.5 cm (excl. stand), 51 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2)
In addition to schist, stucco was a popular medium for sculpture in the ancient Gandhara region. A lightweight, malleable ware, stucco readily lends itself to delicate detailing and sensitive modeling, conveying an emotional presence exemplified in this fine head of Buddha.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related Gandharan stucco head of Buddha, dated 3rd-4th century, 37.6 cm high, formerly in the collection of Marilynn B. Alsdorf and now in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 2015.442. Compare a closely related Gandharan stucco head of Buddha, dated 4th century, 45.7 cm high, in the Saint Louis Art Museum, object number 43:1931.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 2010, lot 109
Price: USD 43,750 or approx. EUR 55,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Large Stucco Head of a Buddha, Gandhara, 3rd/4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial features and wavy hair. Note the smaller size (36.8 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 8
Price: HKD 4,660,000 or approx. EUR 601,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A polychromed stucco head of Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, circa 4th/5th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and features, depicting wavy hair with traces of curly hair on top, this head thus being of slightly later date than the present lot. Note the excellent condition, polychromies, and much larger size (61 cm).
Expert’s note: The present stucco head, like the following lot no. 236, is of earlier date than most, depicting wavy hair with not even a trace yet of the later Indian-influenced development of snail-like curls arranged all over the skull. The closest example in this regard is a head in the Musée Guimet, Paris, accession number AO 2960, discovered in Shahbaz Garhi and dated to the 3rd century, displaying a very similar hairline and rows of wavy locks.
Afghanistan, probably Hadda. Finely modeled, the oval face with almond-shaped eyes below elegantly arched brows, centered by a circular urna above the aquiline nose, and bow-shaped lips forming a gentle smile. The thick wavy hair piled up into a high topknot over the ushnisha and flanked by pendulous earlobes with long slits. The eyes, mouth, ears, and hairline with remnants of red and black pigment.
Provenance: A private collection in Japan. Jeremy Knowles, London, United Kingdom, by 2006. The collection of Cindy Elden, New York, United States, acquired from the above. A copy of the signed invoice from Jeremy Knowles, dated 1 July 2007, confirming the dating and provenance above, and stating a purchase price for the present lot of USD 65,000 or approx. EUR 101,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies the lot. Jeremy Knowles has been dealing with Indian and Asian works of art for over 25 years, specializing in fine and decorative sculpture and paintings. After working as a specialist in the Indian and Southeast Asian department of Spink and Son Ltd., he established his own business in 1993. He has previously exhibited at Asian Art in London, the Arts of Pacific Asia show in New York, and the Brussels Oriental Art Fair. Cindy Elden, philanthropist and collector, belongs to a lineage of distinguished art patrons that includes her great-uncles—David Archibald Smart (1892–1952) and Alfred Smart (1895–1951)—renowned Chicago publishers and art patrons whose legacy is commemorated in the naming of the Smart Museum of Art. Her father, Richard Elden (1933–2018), the visionary hedge-fund pioneer who founded Grosvenor Capital Management, upheld that legacy through decades of leadership as Governor of the Museum. As a current Board member of the Museum, Cindy Elden has supported acquisitions and exhibitions spanning antiquities to modern art, with a special emphasis on South and Central Asian sculpture. She is the President and Co-Founder of the Usher III Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to curing the rare genetic disorder that causes both hearing and vision loss.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, obvious losses, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, flaking, few cracks, small chips, nicks, scratches, remnants of red and black pigment, the right earlobe reattached, minor touchups.
Weight: 19.7 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 41.5 cm (excl. stand), 51 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted on an associated metal stand. (2)
In addition to schist, stucco was a popular medium for sculpture in the ancient Gandhara region. A lightweight, malleable ware, stucco readily lends itself to delicate detailing and sensitive modeling, conveying an emotional presence exemplified in this fine head of Buddha.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related Gandharan stucco head of Buddha, dated 3rd-4th century, 37.6 cm high, formerly in the collection of Marilynn B. Alsdorf and now in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 2015.442. Compare a closely related Gandharan stucco head of Buddha, dated 4th century, 45.7 cm high, in the Saint Louis Art Museum, object number 43:1931.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 2010, lot 109
Price: USD 43,750 or approx. EUR 55,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Large Stucco Head of a Buddha, Gandhara, 3rd/4th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar facial features and wavy hair. Note the smaller size (36.8 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 8
Price: HKD 4,660,000 or approx. EUR 601,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A polychromed stucco head of Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, circa 4th/5th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and features, depicting wavy hair with traces of curly hair on top, this head thus being of slightly later date than the present lot. Note the excellent condition, polychromies, and much larger size (61 cm).
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Auction: TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism, 16th Oct, 2025
Galerie Zacke is honored to present a major two-day live auction event, featuring 662 works of art from China, India, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
The highlight is our flagship live auction on Day 1 (lots 1-269), showcasing masterpieces of exceptional rarity and provenance. Among them are an absolutely perfect and thus extremely rare gilt and copper-red ‘Three Beasts’ bottle vase, Kangxi period, from the collection of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony; a highly important archaic yellow jade bi disk, on an imperially inscribed zitan stand, from the personal collection of the Qianlong Emperor (Hongli); an extraordinary sandstone figure of Lakshmi-Narayana, Chandela period, 10th–12th century, from the collection of Jeremy Knowles; as well as an exceptional 23k gold ritual helmet, Western Eurasian Steppe, possibly Hellenistic or Scythian, from the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum.
Day 2 (lots 270-662) continues with our general auction, offering seasoned collectors and new bidders alike an opportunity to enhance their collections. Learn more.
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