Mathura: Kushan Head, 2nd Century A.D.

A group of about half a dozen heads classified as portraits have been found at Mathura, some with distinguishing conical caps or helmets or rams' horns, These are called 'portraits' mainly because they appear to be of specific persons rather than 'types, ' however, the term is still somewhat arbitrary, A few cases of heads not classified as portraits were unearthed too: such an example is our illustration, Though we are sure neither of the head's identity nor significance, we can appreciate it wholly on the basis of style without suffering interpretative loss, A gentle expression characterizes the face, which is not far from the quiet benevolence of the Buddha images of this same time, Geometric handling is present in the facial details: eyes, browline and mouth: a characteristic never completely forgotten in Kushan sculpture, In general, the carving is like incised metal work, but is not fussy after the Ghandaran variety, Note in particular the treatment of the hair and the delicate diadem at the brow, -- New Delhi, Central Asian Antiquities Museum