Finely carved, the serene face with heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes, elegantly arched brows, full lips, and a wavy mustache, flanked by leogryph earrings. His coiffure secured by beaded and jeweled bands and immaculately arranged in a butterfly topknot with ringlets falling across his forehead in high relief.

Provenance: From the collection of Yvette Starck, Luxembourg, by c. 1970, and thence by descent. A noted Belgian collector, acquired from the above. A copy of a provenance statement, written and signed by the previous owner, dated 25 November 2022 and confirming the provenance stated above, accompanies this lot.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Some wear, minor losses, nicks, scratches, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations. Structural cracks, partially with minor old repairs and fills.

Weight: 9,523 g (excl. stand) and 11,657 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 26 cm (excl. stand) and 40 cm (incl. stand)

The luxurious treatment of the voluminous curls across his broad forehead and the tops of his ears presents the lingering influence of Greco-Roman sculpture on early Buddhist art. Each terminates with exquisite tail-like twists. This style of the topknot is generally assigned to Maitreya, as in an example from the Avery Brundage Collection (see Literature comparison).

The leogryph earrings seen on the present head are a common feature of Gandharan depictions of Maitreya that exemplifies the wide range of influences on Gandharan art, such as the hybrid lion-eagle creatures popular in Persian art motifs and the centaurs of Greek mythology.

With a modern metal base. (2)

Literature comparison:
Compare a figure of Maitreya from the Avery Brundage Collection in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B60S597, illustrated in The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Selected Works, 1994, p. 23.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 September 2013, lot 201
Price: USD 87,500 or approx. EUR 104,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A gray schist head of a bodhisattva, Gandhara, 2^nd/3^rd century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related treatment of the face and butterfly topknot with similar ringlets. Note the smaller size (22.8 cm).



二至三世紀犍陀羅重要片岩彌勒佛頭
彌勒面部表情雕刻細膩，優雅的拱形眉毛，雙眼微閉，小鬍子。他的髮型一塵不染，蝴蝶狀的髮髻，由串珠和鑲有寶石的髮帶固定。

來源：盧森堡 Yvette Starck收藏，約 1970年進入收藏；知名比利時收藏，購於上述收藏。隨附一份上任藏家於2022年11月25日出具的來源證明複印本。
品相：品相良好，一些磨損，輕微缺損、刻痕，劃痕，風化和侵蝕的跡象，有結殼，有結構裂縫，小修補和填充。

重量：9,523 g (不含底座) 與 11,657 g (含底座)
尺寸：高26 厘米 (不含底座) 與 40 厘米 (含底座)

寬闊的前額與蓬鬆捲髮都展現希臘羅馬雕塑對早期佛教藝術的揮之不去的影響。這類頭髻樣式通常用於彌勒，例如Avery Brundage 收藏中的一個例子（參見文獻比較）。

本尊頭像上的獅鷲耳環是犍陀羅彌勒造像的特徵，例如波斯藝術裏流行的獅鷲混合生物和希臘神話中的半人馬。

現代金屬底座。(2)

文獻比較：
比較一件彌勒佛像，收藏於舊金山亞洲藝術博物館Avery Brundage Collection，收藏編號B60S597，見《The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Selected Works》，1994年，頁23。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2013年9月18日，lot 201
價格：USD 87,500（相當於今日EUR 104,000）
描述：二至三世紀犍陀羅片岩彌勒佛頭
專家評論：比較非常相近的捲髮、面部和蝴蝶髮髻。請注意尺寸較小(22.8 厘米)。