A LIFE-SIZED TERRACOTTA HEAD OF BUDDHA, GANDHARA Ancient region of Gandhara, 4th century. The large head superbly modeled with a serene expression with almond-shaped eyes beneath finely arched brows and an urna, aquiline nose, and full lips forming a gentle smile. The hair in tight curls with a dome-shaped ushnisha on top. Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. In 1954, L. Magniette, bailiff of the court in Toulouse (Huissier), was ordered to compile a complete inventory of the collection inherited by Marcel Huc from his father, Arthur Huc, the so-called "Inventaire Huc". The present lot is listed in this inventory as follows: "Serie de vingt deux têtes en terre-cuite. GANDHARA" (series of twenty-two terracotta heads. GANDHARA). A copy of the inventory list and cover page are accompanying this lot. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Depêche du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Evariste Regis Huc, also known as the Abbe Huc (1813-1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book "Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China". Condition: Very impressive condition considering the age of this piece! Fully consistent with the age of the sculpture, one small piece reattached at the cheek, minor firing flaws and insignificant material loss to some exposed areas, hardly noticeable due to a light-colored varnish coating which was applied long time ago. Scientific Analysis Report: A Thermoluminescence sample analysis has been conducted by Oxford Authentication, TL test no. N116n8, dated 18 October 2016, and is consistent with the suggested period of manufacture, a copy of the thermoluminescence analysis report accompanies this lot (the original is lost). Weight: 15.0 kg in total Dimensions: Height 35 cm (the head) and 53 cm (incl. base) The kingdom of Gandhara lasted from 530 BC to 1021 AD, when its last king was murdered by his own troops. It stretched across parts of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gandhara is noted for its distinctive style in Buddhist art, which developed out of a merger of Greek, Syrian, Persian and Indian artistic influence. Gandharan style flourished and achieved its peak during the Kushan period, from the 1st to the 5th century. In the first century AD, Gandhara was the birthplace of some of the earliest Buddhist images. The use of hard-fired ceramic instead of stone such as schist was popular during the later Gandharan period from the 4th to 6th centuries AD. Fired clay was expensive in the area, because the wood needed for the firing process was scarce. Therefore, such an expensive sculpture would have been a highly meritorious Buddhist offering. Only very few terracotta statues from this period and size have ever been recorded. Mounted on an associated wood base. (2) Auction result comparison: Compare with a related but smaller (28 cm) terracotta head of a Bodhisattva at Christie's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, 19 March 2013, lot 212, sold for USD $75,000 and a related but much smaller (20.3 cm) terracotta head of a Buddha at Sotheby's New York, Images Of Enlightenment: Devotional Works Of Art And Paintings, 17 September 2014, lot 410, sold for USD $62,500. 赤陶佛陀頭像，健陀羅 健陀羅國，公元4世紀。頭像造型優美，表情慈祥，眉毛下方是杏形眼睛和兩眼間的慧眼，鼻頭飽滿，鼻子和豐滿的嘴唇構成柔和的笑容。 緊密捲髮，頂部有圓頂形的肉髻。 來源：此像源自法國阿瑟∙胡克（1854-1932）收藏。馬爾塞∙胡克繼承，家族保存。1954年1954年，圖盧茲法院的法警L. Magniette受命對馬爾塞∙胡克從其父親阿瑟∙胡克（即所謂的" Inventaire Huc"）繼承的藏品進行完整的清點。藏品清單中可見現有拍品。隨附清單拷貝。此像源自法國阿瑟∙胡克（1854-1932）收藏。馬爾塞∙胡克繼承，家族保存。阿瑟∙胡克先生曾是圖盧斯市《快訊》極受歡迎的時政記者，直至1932年去世，他還是一個著名的藝術評論家。同時，他也開始收藏亞洲藝術。其收藏可追溯到額法李斯特∙雷吉斯∙胡克，又名阿貝∙胡克（1813-1860，中文名古伯察Evariste Regis Huc），一個法國傳教士，他在蒙古、西藏及中國的游記《鞑靼西藏旅行记》使他成名。 品相：考慮到這件作品的年代，它的狀況令人印象深刻！ 與雕塑的年代完全一致，臉頰上有一小塊粘黏塊，輕微的燒製缺陷，局部裸露區域的材料有一些缺損，這是由於很久以前使用的淺色清漆塗層而引起的。 隨附牛津熱釋光測試檢測證書拷貝 重量：縂15.0公斤 尺寸：頭像高35厘米，含底座53厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件相似但小些的（28厘米）赤陶菩薩像于2013年3月19日在紐約佳士得《印度和東南亞藝術品》拍號212，成交價為$ 75,000美元。另一件赤陶佛陀赤陶頭像（20.3厘米）2014年9月17日于 紐約蘇富《悟相：宗教藝術專拍》拍號410，成交價62,500美元。