Βόρεια Ινδία, πιθανώς Ουτάρ Πραντές / μεσαία κοιλάδα του Γάγγη Terracotta Εκφραστικό κεφάλι ανδρικής φιγούρας σε τερακότα. - 19 cm






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Αρχαϊκή κούφια κεφαλή ανθρωπίνου φιγούρας από βορειοϊνδία, πιθανώς Ουτάρ Πραντές, μεσαία κοιλάδα του Γάγη, περίοδος Γκούπα, αιώνας V–VI μ.Χ., με πλατύ χαμόγελο και φανταχτερό τρίχωμα, ύψος 19 cm, πλάτος 10,5 cm, βάθος 8,5 cm, σε καλή κατάσταση.
Περιγραφή από τον πωλητή
Expressive masculine head in terracotta, North India, probably Uttar Pradesh / upper Ganges valley, Gupta period, 5th–6th century CE.
Important fragmentary head in terracotta depicting a male character with a particularly lively expression, characterized by a broad smile, full cheeks, large eyes drawn under strongly arched eyebrow arches and a spectacular elaborated coiffure.
The character wears large ear ornaments and a high headdress composed of several superimposed volumes. Its upper part combines a central protruding element with a semi-circular structure adorned with radiating incisions, giving the sculpture a particularly distinctive silhouette.
The precise identity of the character remains open. The jovial physiognomy may evoke a Gana or a Yakṣa, semi-divine figures well known in ancient Indian art. An interpretation as a court figure or Vidūṣaka, a tradition clown characterized by strong expressivity and unusual hairstyles, also constitutes an interesting possibility. In the absence of a body and additional attributes, none of these identifications is presented as certain.
The style and technique point to the important terracotta traditions developed in the middle Ganges valley during the Gupta period, notably in centers such as Ahichchhatra, Rajghat and more broadly Uttar Pradesh. These correspondences are stylistic and technical; no precise archaeological provenance from any of these sites is claimed.
The piece was designed hollow, as shown by the wide cavity visible beneath the head. This construction allowed lightening the sculpture and facilitating its drying and firing. Its execution seems to combine casting, modeling and manual retouching, particularly visible in the treatment of the coiffure and incised details.
The reverse is much more roughly worked than the face, indicating likely that the head was intended to be viewed mainly frontally or in three-quarter view. It could have belonged to a large figure or to a decorative composition, without a clearly demonstrable architectural function.
Terracotta retains red-pink to red-orange tones under beige and whitish deposits. Wear is more marked on exposed reliefs while hollows and incisions retain more deposits.
Condition: generally good for an ancient fragmentary terracotta piece. Wear, abrasions, chipping and ancient losses, notably on some peripheral parts and the coiffure. The face preserves excellent legibility. No major restoration, no major rejoining nor obvious reconstruction are visible in the examined documentation. Mounted on a modern metal base.
Provenance: former private Belgian collection, acquired between 1979 and 2009, then transmitted through descendants in 2023.
Dimensions excluding base: 19 × 10.5 × 8.5 cm.
Reported weight: 1.155 kg.
Height with base: 26.3 cm.
No thermoluminescence analysis has been carried out. The attribution and dating proposed are based on stylistic, technical, structural, material and comparative study of the piece.
video Link:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/bspsh7p8woe2igzwr9kf6/AJ9W5kl_jzkqAKYKZcOHQjo?rlkey=yqib1hg92ukqs3ec7dd2gp3x6&dl=0
Ιστορία πωλητή
Expressive masculine head in terracotta, North India, probably Uttar Pradesh / upper Ganges valley, Gupta period, 5th–6th century CE.
Important fragmentary head in terracotta depicting a male character with a particularly lively expression, characterized by a broad smile, full cheeks, large eyes drawn under strongly arched eyebrow arches and a spectacular elaborated coiffure.
The character wears large ear ornaments and a high headdress composed of several superimposed volumes. Its upper part combines a central protruding element with a semi-circular structure adorned with radiating incisions, giving the sculpture a particularly distinctive silhouette.
The precise identity of the character remains open. The jovial physiognomy may evoke a Gana or a Yakṣa, semi-divine figures well known in ancient Indian art. An interpretation as a court figure or Vidūṣaka, a tradition clown characterized by strong expressivity and unusual hairstyles, also constitutes an interesting possibility. In the absence of a body and additional attributes, none of these identifications is presented as certain.
The style and technique point to the important terracotta traditions developed in the middle Ganges valley during the Gupta period, notably in centers such as Ahichchhatra, Rajghat and more broadly Uttar Pradesh. These correspondences are stylistic and technical; no precise archaeological provenance from any of these sites is claimed.
The piece was designed hollow, as shown by the wide cavity visible beneath the head. This construction allowed lightening the sculpture and facilitating its drying and firing. Its execution seems to combine casting, modeling and manual retouching, particularly visible in the treatment of the coiffure and incised details.
The reverse is much more roughly worked than the face, indicating likely that the head was intended to be viewed mainly frontally or in three-quarter view. It could have belonged to a large figure or to a decorative composition, without a clearly demonstrable architectural function.
Terracotta retains red-pink to red-orange tones under beige and whitish deposits. Wear is more marked on exposed reliefs while hollows and incisions retain more deposits.
Condition: generally good for an ancient fragmentary terracotta piece. Wear, abrasions, chipping and ancient losses, notably on some peripheral parts and the coiffure. The face preserves excellent legibility. No major restoration, no major rejoining nor obvious reconstruction are visible in the examined documentation. Mounted on a modern metal base.
Provenance: former private Belgian collection, acquired between 1979 and 2009, then transmitted through descendants in 2023.
Dimensions excluding base: 19 × 10.5 × 8.5 cm.
Reported weight: 1.155 kg.
Height with base: 26.3 cm.
No thermoluminescence analysis has been carried out. The attribution and dating proposed are based on stylistic, technical, structural, material and comparative study of the piece.
video Link:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/bspsh7p8woe2igzwr9kf6/AJ9W5kl_jzkqAKYKZcOHQjo?rlkey=yqib1hg92ukqs3ec7dd2gp3x6&dl=0
Ιστορία πωλητή
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Ο πωλητής ενημερώθηκε από την Catawiki σχετικά με τις απαιτήσεις εγγράφων και εγγυάται τα εξής: - το αντικείμενο αποκτήθηκε νόμιμα - ο πωλητής έχει το δικαίωμα να πωλήσει ή/και να εξαγάγει το αντικείμενο, ανάλογα με την περίπτωση - ο πωλητής θα παράσχει τις απαραίτητες πληροφορίες προέλευσης και θα διευθετήσει τα απαιτούμενα έγγραφα και άδειες, κατά περίπτωση και σύμφωνα με τους τοπικούς νόμους - ο πωλητής θα ειδοποιήσει τον αγοραστή για τυχόν καθυστερήσεις στην έκδοση των αδειών. Υποβάλλοντας προσφορά, αναγνωρίζετε ότι ενδέχεται να απαιτούνται έγγραφα εισαγωγής ανάλογα με τη χώρα διαμονής σας και ότι η έκδοση των αδειών μπορεί να προκαλέσει καθυστερήσεις στην παράδοση του αντικειμένου σας.
Ο πωλητής ενημερώθηκε από την Catawiki σχετικά με τις απαιτήσεις εγγράφων και εγγυάται τα εξής: - το αντικείμενο αποκτήθηκε νόμιμα - ο πωλητής έχει το δικαίωμα να πωλήσει ή/και να εξαγάγει το αντικείμενο, ανάλογα με την περίπτωση - ο πωλητής θα παράσχει τις απαραίτητες πληροφορίες προέλευσης και θα διευθετήσει τα απαιτούμενα έγγραφα και άδειες, κατά περίπτωση και σύμφωνα με τους τοπικούς νόμους - ο πωλητής θα ειδοποιήσει τον αγοραστή για τυχόν καθυστερήσεις στην έκδοση των αδειών. Υποβάλλοντας προσφορά, αναγνωρίζετε ότι ενδέχεται να απαιτούνται έγγραφα εισαγωγής ανάλογα με τη χώρα διαμονής σας και ότι η έκδοση των αδειών μπορεί να προκαλέσει καθυστερήσεις στην παράδοση του αντικειμένου σας.
