Head of Buddha

Art Historical Context

This serene *Head of Buddha*, crafted in the 4th century stucco in the ancient Gandhara region of Pakistan, the region's pioneering Greco-Buddhist art. Emerging around the 1st century CE after Alexander the Great's conquest, Gandhara blended Hellenistic realism with Buddhist spirituality, creating naturalistic sculptures that humanized divine figures. At just 9¼ inches tall, this piece—likely part of a larger statue—captures the meditative essence of the Buddha, a hallmark of early Mahayana Buddhism's spread along trade routes. Stucco, a molded plaster medium popular in Gandhara due to its af...